Apathy is a characteristic of postmodernity.
Postmodernism , also called postmodernity , is a very broad concept that refers to a trend in culture , art and philosophy that emerged at the end of the 20th century . At a general level, it can be said that postmodernism is associated with the cult of individuality , the absence of interest in the common well-being and the rejection of rationalism, although the idea has many edges.
The postmodern movement, broadly speaking, maintains that modernity failed in attempting to renew forms of thought and expression. That is why postmodern thought is associated with disenchantment and apathy , since it is based on what it understands as a failure of society .
Characteristics of postmodernism
Unlike previous generations, who believed in utopias and social development, postmodern thinkers defend that the possibility of progress is only individual. Ideals, in postmodernity, are replaced by consumption , while great leaders give way to figures who enjoy brief fame.
Another characteristic of the postmodern world is that it privileges forms over content. In other words: how a message is transmitted and what effects it causes matters more than the message itself.
In postmodernism, on the other hand, the importance of the past and even the future is also minimized, so only the present is given relevance (which, on the other hand, is ephemeral). With respect to religion and the spiritual, they lose importance in the face of the valorization of the body as an instrument of freedom and source of pleasure.
Postmodernism creates a cult of individuality.
In favor of diversity
Postmodern thought is characterized by being anti-dualistic , since its followers oppose the result of the dualisms created by Western philosophy, which collaborated with a lesser openness of thought. Furthermore, postmodernism is in favor of diversity and pluralism, and seeks to satisfy the needs of those individuals or groups that have suffered oppression and marginalization due to the ideologies of modernism and the social and political structures that supported them.
Another feature of postmodernism is the questioning of texts (both literary and historical, among other types of written sources), an attitude that it justifies with its supposed lack of objectivity or authority to accurately communicate the events that really took place. . In other words, postmodern thought denounces such books for distorting the truth in order to reflect the personal ideas and prejudices of their authors.
For those who weigh postmodernism, language is the key to truth : since language fulfills the important function of molding the thinking of human beings, it is not possible to conceive the existence of the latter without the former. Continuing with the concept of truth, postmodernists consider it contextual or variable depending on the point of view, rather than a universal and unquestionable thing. People cannot access reality, but only the perception we have of it.
Historical, social and psychological features of postmodernity
From a historical and social point of view, postmodernity is characterized by:
* ensure that modern sciences are limited with respect to their ability to generate universally valid knowledge ;
* the economy of production gave rise to that of consumption;
* revalue nature and promote environmental care;
* the power acquired by the consumer industry and the mass media;
* the importance that the image of the leaders gained above their ideologies.
From a socio-psychological perspective, however, it can be said that postmodernity:
* look for the immediate;
* contradicts itself in the search for individuality, since it carries it out following social fashions;
* defends personal liberation;
* justifies the events with mysticism.