Except that it does make claims that are the opposite of the claims rationalists make. It claims that there is no objective reality, no ultimate set of principles we can use to understand the universe, and no correct method of getting nearer to truth.
The actual ground-level stance is more like: “If you think that you know some sort of objective reality, etc., it is overwhelmingly likely that you’re in fact wrong in some way, and being deluded by cached thoughts.” This is an eminently rational attitude to take - ‘it’s not what you don’t know that really gets you into trouble, it’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.’ The rest of your comment has similar problems, so I’m not going to discuss it in depth. Suffice it to say, postmodern thought is far more subtle than you give it credit for.
If someone claims to hold a belief with absolute 100% certainty, that doesn’t require a gigantic modern philosophical edifice in order to refute. It seems like that’s setting a very low bar for what postmodernism actually hopes to accomplish.
If someone claims to hold a belief with absolute 100% certainty, that doesn’t require a gigantic modern philosophical edifice in order to refute.
The reason why postmodernism often looks like that superficially is that it specializes in critiquing “gigantic modern philosophical edifice[s]” (emphasis on ‘modern’!). It takes a gigantic philosophy to beat a gigantic philosophy, at least in some people’s view.
The actual ground-level stance is more like: “If you think that you know some sort of objective reality, etc., it is overwhelmingly likely that you’re in fact wrong in some way, and being deluded by cached thoughts.” This is an eminently rational attitude to take - ‘it’s not what you don’t know that really gets you into trouble, it’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.’ The rest of your comment has similar problems, so I’m not going to discuss it in depth. Suffice it to say, postmodern thought is far more subtle than you give it credit for.
If someone claims to hold a belief with absolute 100% certainty, that doesn’t require a gigantic modern philosophical edifice in order to refute. It seems like that’s setting a very low bar for what postmodernism actually hopes to accomplish.
The reason why postmodernism often looks like that superficially is that it specializes in critiquing “gigantic modern philosophical edifice[s]” (emphasis on ‘modern’!). It takes a gigantic philosophy to beat a gigantic philosophy, at least in some people’s view.