From: Wim Nusselder (wim.nusselder@antenna.nl)
Date: Thu Apr 17 2003 - 22:52:25 BST
Dear Platt,
You wrote 17 Apr 2003 11:21:07 -0400:
'I don't agree with [Kuitert's] definition of postmodernism as the movement
that rid the Western world of heresy. Instead, that was the great
contribution of the Enlightenment.'
I don't read such a definition in his words. He described 'postmodern
culture' as 'the stage of not charging others with heresy anymore'.
The Enlightenment indeed enabled people to substitute the distinction
between true and false ideas for the distinction between orthodox and
heretic ideas. It claimed that rational thinking and/or empirical methods
would enable one to make this distinction. As most people most of the time
are NOT thinking rationally and are using rules of thumb indirectly and
often mistakenly derived from experience rather than empirical methods, the
'modern culture' resulting from Enlightenment is the stage of people
charging others of entertaining false ideas, of people judging one another
by their ideas.
The Dutch word 'verketteren' which I translated (probably too literally) as
'charge with heresy' is commonly used in a broader, more metaphorical sense
then the way you interpreted it. It rather means 'denunciate', like we often
do on this list (-;
Don't you think that 'postmodern culture' (to be distinguished from your
'postmodern movement'), understood as a step beyond 'modern culture' in the
sense that people do not denunciate each other any more for their ideas, is
a step forward? 'Postmodern culture' as Kuitert (I think) means it, is
simply a culture with freedom of speech.
But ... if everyone can express any opinion and if during centuries of
'modern culture' neither rationality nor empiricism apparently produced much
consensus, how can we know what ideas are more valuable than others?
Rational thinking and empirical testing have been proven incredible as means
to choose between ways of giving our lives Meaning, both individually and
collectively.
That's why we need a step even beyond 'postmodern culture' and just freedom
to each follow our own lights.
To return to the start of this thread: simply invoking 'God', as a reference
to old myths or to a personlike being who will choose for us and relieve us
from suffering, is no solution.
I don't think that man's command of 'the Word' is a solution either.
Everyone simply creates his own world of words (his own 'final
vocabulary'?). That won't prevent us from falling in the old habit of
pitting our words against those of others, charging them of 'heresy' or
'falsehood' or whatever. ('Man is for a while a governor of spirit, because
he commands the word, and the power of the word is spirit.' was not my
statement, but Kuitert's.)
Man's command of Beauty and Meaning may be the solution. Beauty and Meaning
can indeed be said to reflect the 'spirit' or 'god'. And if we experience
Beauty and Meaning in direct, personal, intimate relationship, we can also
write 'Spirit' or 'God'.
With friendly greetings,
Wim
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