Modernism and Postmodern Times.

Page banner

Everybody Walks on the DONT WALK:

Modernism and Postmodern Times.

Kerslake
©July 2000.

Installing electronically controlled traffic signs at busy intersections is an example of Modern philosophy put into practice. Modernism is the idea that things are better for everyone when we use the most recent technologies, machines and science.

Changing WALK and DONT WALK signs to images is an example of Pluralist philosophy. Pluralist philosophy includes everyone in the scheme of things regardless of age, language and literacy. Installing beepers for the visually impaired is also pluralist thinking. As an aside, Pluralism by its inclusive thinking tends not to be part of Modern philosophy because a Modern agenda requires considerable resources, therefore, those with less resources, be it individuals or countries, find themselves disadvantaged and therefore second class or lower in a Modern world. Modernism cannot fulfill its mandate without a hierarchy or scale of importance for different people within the larger group. Postmodernism, on the other hand, mistrusts a built in power structure. Consider what a postmodern intersection looks like.

For a time most people accepted the instructions and waited for the WALK signal before proceeding into the intersection not because there was a policeman or policewoman on every corner prepared to reprimand offenders but primarily because almost everyone else agreed it was for the best for everyone. Nonconformists were seen as selfish and or reckless. Sometimes motorists would draw attention to offenders with a blast on the horn. A person walking on the DONT WALK knew they were doing the wrong thing.

In a Postmodern culture the signs are ignored. People walk when they decide they will walk and no sign installed by someone else is worth a thought. What then is the difference between a rebel or nonconformist and a Postmodern thinker? The opinions of the group, the number of people and their conviction can change a society from Modern to Postmodern. It has a lot to do with the number of people or volume of people, who think in this or that fashion. A nonconformist today might obey the DONT WALK sign to the scorn and amusement of contemporary, enlightened Postmodern pedestrians.

In conclusion, bare in mind this is a very brief article on a subject one can spend a lifetime studying. Postmodernism could have been called anti-modernism, unmodernism or nonmodernism. Its ideology has little respect for the establishment and is not nearly as impressed with science and technology as Modernist adherents. Postmodernism tends, for reasons mentioned above, to be more Pluralistic although that is another subject for another time.

Postmodern living has changed and continues to change the world. It is imprudent to wait for everyone to return to Modern thinking. The resources of the planet cannot support it for one thing but more importantly, communications today make it impossible to keep sufficient numbers of second and third class populations uninformed of what Modern societies are up to.This doesn't mean the only alternative is Postmodernism. There are other philosophies with large followings but Postmodernism is having a profound effect upon cultures which supported Modernism and there are spin off effects which impact upon almost everyone on the planet. Postmodernism appears to be growing as Modernism continues to come up short of expectations. All indications show a decline in Postmodern thinking is a long way off even though it appears destructive and less capable than Modernism of meeting the challenges of this millennium.

There comes a time when renovating an old structure is no longer appropriate and the structure must come down. Postmodernism is the wrecking ball for the Modern structure. Postmodernism however does not appear to be a building tool. A new philosophy will doubtless replace Postmodernism when the need to rebuild is established.

Not everyone walks on the DONT WALK but many people have taken a less structured approach to every day living by rejecting authoritarianism to varying degrees and by making decisions based upon person information rather than the advise of experts or those in leadership roles. With the information available continuing to increase and the validity of recognized institutions being scrutinized by media and other information vehicles, Postmodern philosophy is predictably here for a while.

One further note: It is understood by now that Modern Art is art which reflects Modernism's philosophy. Modern materials may be employed but the defining factor is the kind of thinking the artist appears to support. Is the work of a hierarchical nature or elitist in some way or conversely, does the work tend to reject a need for approval from the establishment or does it criticize recognized values? What an artist puts in the work will often imply directly or inadvertently a philosophical bias or taste which reveals a personal aesthetic. Similarly, taste or aesthetics common to a culture reflect a cultural philosophy. One role of artists is to reveal or comment upon cultural and personal aesthetics in their work.

Comments?
Derek Kerslake

| Cover Page | Home | Portfolio | Studio | Library |

Derek Kerslake
.