Date of Award

Spring 1996

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Humanities

Committee Director

Lawrence Hatab

Committee Member

David James

Committee Member

Dana Heller

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.H85 G74

Abstract

Postmodernism has enjoyed a wide range of influence as a critical enterprise, often being accused as nothing more than a method of critique. In addition, it is often objected that postmodernism advocates a radical relativism which is ultimately self-contradictory and lacks an overall sense of agency that can apply to concrete action. These issues are particularly significant when considering theories of truth. Given postmodernism criticizes traditional notions of truth and objectivity, it is appropriate to ask if postmodernism possesses a positive position on truth as an alternative. I argue in this work that while postmodernism has a significant critical enterprise, it also possesses a viable alternative to traditional conceptions of truth which does not suffer from a performative contradiction. This postmodernism sense of truth avoids many problems resultant from foundationalist positions on truth and shows postmodernism as not only a critical methodology but also a positive epistemology.

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DOI

10.25777/65hs-es52

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