Conatus: THIRD EDITION by Tom Wallace - HTML preview

C O N A T U S

For post-modernism everything is a story, although a story that is not necessarily true. In considering the post-modernist we shine a light on the problems shared by all of the narrative threads I have been exploring in this work. This is that whilst it seems liberal and tolerant to say that people can ‘own their own truth’, or ‘have a narrative that’s right for them’, most people believe their truth to be essentially, literally true and not just some option in a pick-and-mix of opinions. Post-modernism, whilst seeming to support people in their beliefs, is saying that the various narratives that people adopt don’t really mean anything.

Perhaps there is a legacy though — and a positive one, despite the criticisms levelled against post-modernism above. One idea along the lines of post-modernism is called ‘perspectivism’. Essentially, perspectivism suggests that the way things are understood is open to interpretation via the perspective of an observer. The observer may see their conclusions and beliefs in some way binding on them, even whilst acknowledging there are other beliefs and other traditions in the world. The observer may seek coherence in their beliefs, and probably will. All of this might be with regard to how the world is investigated, how the world is explained, what constitutes morality and what meaning they attach to the concept of a good life. Both post-modernism and perspectivism take us neatly into phenomenology.

Phenomenology

I have to admit here that what I am considering

118