In this book it explores science and technology, makes connections between these epistemic, cultural, and political trends, and develops profound i...
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Nov 15, 2011
Esteban
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"The needs of the most underprivileged should not be used as a system regulator as a matter of principle: since the means of satisfying them is already known, their actual satisfaction will not improve the system's performance, but only increase its expenditures. The only counterindication is that not satisfying them can destabilize the whole. It is against the nature of force to be ruled by weakness. But it is in its nature to induce new requests meant to lead to a redefinition of the norm
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Jan 01, 2010
Steven
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This work, by Jean Francois Lyotard, is one of the signature works of postmodern theory. Say what you will of this perspective, this book is necessary reading in understanding the subject. This is not an easy work; however, those who persevere will be rewarded with interesting insights, whether or not one agree with postmodern thinking.
Lyotard defines Postmodern thought in contrast to modernism. Modernism, he claims, is ". . .any science that legitimates itself with reference t More...
Lyotard defines Postmodern thought in contrast to modernism. Modernism, he claims, is ". . .any science that legitimates itself with reference t More...
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Sep 13, 2009
John
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Lyotard spends the far majority of the main work describing society's move away from the two modern metanarratives: speculation and emancipation, representing the twin desires of knowing the unknown and knowing justice. The modern, scientific world has drawn on one or another of these two narratives in an attempt to legitimize its knowledge of the world, only to find that it cannot do so within itself. In other words, the modern world has been so concerned with creating a tight, logical totality
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Sep 29, 2010
Gurudas
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Simply expecting a book that extends its analysis of the postmodern phenomenon to the fields of science, technology and its control/influence over the Western ethos, I was pleasantly surprised by Lyotard's examination of postmodernism.
My interest was immediately captured by his brilliant definition of the phenomenon:
“Simplifying to the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives.”
Yet Lyotard demonstrates that all forms of knowledge are ultimat More...
My interest was immediately captured by his brilliant definition of the phenomenon:
“Simplifying to the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives.”
Yet Lyotard demonstrates that all forms of knowledge are ultimat More...
Aug 23, 2011
Phil
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I was debating between giving this 4 or 5 stars, but I decided to be generous (after all, it isn't like my rating matters in the larger scheme of things). The reason I was tempted to knock it down to 4 stars is that portions of the book are so focused on science that I simply got nothing out of them. I find the broad generalities of science interesting, its discursive methods and world view(s), but I don't know almost anything about specific scientists' work or what it means in context and so on
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Jan 19, 2011
Theresa
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I should have read this book ages ago, when I was reading Foucault and Bourdieu. This reads more like a history of postmodernism now, 20+ years after publication, and at times feels prescient. Lyotard was right about storage of and access to information becoming a new source of power, and I share his frustration with every phenomenon being reduced to semiotics or a language game, but I'm not sure that this short text is germane to thinking about the problems of information technology today. Howe
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Jan 17, 2010
Beth
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A pretty decent introduction to postmodernism, pending you buy into the idea of language games. I appreciated Lyotard's movement for the return of fables and myths, as there will undoubtedly be problems if our society focuses on performance through science alone (not to say science is an evil, as its potential for good is certainly still there, but in its most advanced states it has become fettered to money). Lyotard left me wondering: in a society based upon capitalism (which I also initially
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Nov 15, 2011
Barnaby
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I can't help but think the main reason this book remains in currency is because it is widely regarded as the locus classicus for a definition and analysis of the term "postmodernism," which Lyotard did not invent. Nor, in my mind, did he add much to European culture's self-understanding of the broad cultural tendencies amalgamated under that porous banner.
Lyotard loosely defines postmodernism as a suspicion of meta-narratives, arguing that ideas can no longer be afforded leg More...
Lyotard loosely defines postmodernism as a suspicion of meta-narratives, arguing that ideas can no longer be afforded leg More...
Dec 06, 2009
Kent
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It is difficult to believe that Lyotard wrote this book in 1979. His notion of databases, and the prevalence of information, and the kind of shift it would create in the society, is surely prescient of the present. What I appreciate most, though, is the careful logic used to chart the shift in social sciences and science to indeterminism, and how that creates a tension with the indutrial focus on technology, which is results based, and driven by the need to create circumstances with measurable q
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Aug 25, 2011
This book addresses the concept of postmodernity from the perspectives of philosophy and art, and in terms of the relationship between the discourses of narrative and science. Lyotard contrasts "narrative knowledge" (27) with "scientific knowledge" (23). He defines the postmodern as "incredulity toward metanarratives" (xxiv), and he argues that, whereas narrative knowledge accepts that scientific knowledge possesses narrative properties, scientific knowledge in turn
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Aug 10, 2010
Dan
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While Fredric Jameson employs a Marxist approach to postmodernism, arguing that it is a reflection on the cultural level of transformations within capitalism, Jean-Francois Lyotard views the notion of capital as “totalizing,” and emphasizes instead the differentiation and discontinuity of postmodernism. Thus, he deploys a variety of approaches to the reading of postmodernism, and the interdisciplinary eclecticism of the approaches he deploys could be understood as reflecting his statement that
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Feb 09, 2008
gokce
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The Postmodern Condition is about the dominance of scientific knowledge over that of narrative, and the related death of meta-narratives. The performativity principle underlined by late capitalism plays a crucial role in the subordination of the narrative form simply because narration is not instrumental in creating capital. Lyotard argues that narration seeks to consume the past and generate a way of forgetting, while on the other hand, scientific knowledge focuses on the prevalent shortages of
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Nov 05, 2007
Jacob
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This book clearly outlines the state of knowledge and the crisis of legitimacy that characterizes the postmodern condition. Lyotard quickly runs through some of the most popular means of legitimating knowledge - science, grand metanarratives, performativity - and shows how each is no longer valid. Unfortunately, he leaves much to be desired in his prescription of legitimacy through language games and small, self-contained, effectively agnostic narratives. These do not satisfy his own conditio
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Jul 08, 2007
Anna
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Lyotard's rhetoric feels out of date but still holds water to a certain extent. Some of his predictions have become laughably untrue but others are remarkably on point. Another one of those theoretical approaches to the Internet that tried to describe and grasp something whose present was no less coherent or describable than its future.
Lyotard's so-called "Report on Knowledge" describes the state of knowledge in computerized societies. He argues that our society is becoming More...
Lyotard's so-called "Report on Knowledge" describes the state of knowledge in computerized societies. He argues that our society is becoming More...
Jun 24, 2007
Adi
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this book is very good:
Taken from H. Dwi Kristanto's abstract in his essay 'Ketidakpercayaan Terhadap Metanarasi', he described the content of this book:
Sains dalam masa modern mengklaim diri sebagai satu-satunya jenis pengetahuan yang valid dan melegitimasi dirinya dengan merujuk pada dua narasi besar: emansipasi manusia dan dialektika Roh.Narasi besar ini menjadi meta-narasi yang berfungsi menjamin adanya satu kebenaran tunggal yang berlaku universal. Dalam kondisi postmodern More...
Taken from H. Dwi Kristanto's abstract in his essay 'Ketidakpercayaan Terhadap Metanarasi', he described the content of this book:
Sains dalam masa modern mengklaim diri sebagai satu-satunya jenis pengetahuan yang valid dan melegitimasi dirinya dengan merujuk pada dua narasi besar: emansipasi manusia dan dialektika Roh.Narasi besar ini menjadi meta-narasi yang berfungsi menjamin adanya satu kebenaran tunggal yang berlaku universal. Dalam kondisi postmodern More...
May 29, 2009
Daniel
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will reread as soon as i get the chance. implications of this book immense, if you are interested in a validating idea of "common sense" which Lyotard terms "know-how," and want to know how this concept applies to the scientific method, well...goddamn it, we'll go to the moon with a 305 chevy and a motherfucking shoestring! I always knew my uncle Mervin was right...
Jan 06, 2011
Ryo
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One of the timeliest things one can read now--mostly, a look at the shift from narrative to scientific culture, the language games associated with them (and others, productivity culture, for instance), the burdens of validation, and the rise of technology and the knowledge economy. Very even-handed dealing.
May 03, 2011
Douglas
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very interesting - might take a couple of reads to get the most out of it. Understanding the difference between modernism and postmodernism is a real eye opener. Those embracing scientism seem to miss this important distinction which results in the decay of knowledge.
Apr 18, 2011
Betty
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What I like about this book is that it argues all discourses are merely language games in which we make narrative move. I would like to believe in that - that the core of our humanity is made up of stories. =)
Jul 04, 2010
Jan
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this book is annoying and in no way would I recommend it to anyone. little is of direct use and I can't be bothered to try and deduce its practical implications. his only prescription is that "free access" to computers emancipate - right.
however I don't understand when people say this is impenetrable "pomo speak". Lyotard is a decent writer, quite clear and I sense a hint of irony here and there. it's the content that drags it all down. sure, he builds the case sy More...
however I don't understand when people say this is impenetrable "pomo speak". Lyotard is a decent writer, quite clear and I sense a hint of irony here and there. it's the content that drags it all down. sure, he builds the case sy More...
Jun 23, 2008
Its main saving grace is its brevity. For the parts that discuss science, I found myself perpetually asking "really?" While certain, small insights seem wise, I found the concept of the "decline of the grand narrative," which stands at the centerpiece of the work, to be a total pretention. Indeed, Lyotard considered the work a failure, yet it still stands as his most famous work stateside. Eh, fuck this book.
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Aug 01, 2007
Ben
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I read this book just after reading de Certeau's Practice of Everyday Life. It's interesting to consider ideas like 'la perruque,' that de Certeau discusses in comparison with a lot of the issues surround immaterial labor that is hinted at in Lyotard's text, and even more so in the foreward by Frederic Jameson.
It's also super interesting that this book was written more than 20 years ago, yet it's totally relevant in terms of knowledge production and arhives in our computerized socie More...
It's also super interesting that this book was written more than 20 years ago, yet it's totally relevant in terms of knowledge production and arhives in our computerized socie More...
Feb 11, 2008
Baff
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This book offers the most concise definition of Postmodernism I've encountered, as, "incredulity toward metanarratives." I picked it up just because and found it to be fairly useless. "A Report On Knowledge" is a very annoying title for a book. I am still not convinced that Lyotard is reporting anything. I tried reading Richard Rorty and Michel Foucault and they were worse. It seemed like they were trying really hard to NOT say anything, which I find irritating.
Dec 12, 2011
Lidiana
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There a few traits in Lyotard's theory that I cannot agree with, but either way it is a relevant reading to understando the post-modern world, specially when we associate to Fredric Jameson's writing.
Sep 22, 2011
Aaron
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I read this in English, as I do not speak French.
There are references to other works that I've not read contained throughout. However, we live in an age where Google and Wikipedia make the search for an expounded explanation a simple thing. It is my belief that many things were lost in translation, but this is still a decent work on Post modernism. Which I still struggle to understand.
There are references to other works that I've not read contained throughout. However, we live in an age where Google and Wikipedia make the search for an expounded explanation a simple thing. It is my belief that many things were lost in translation, but this is still a decent work on Post modernism. Which I still struggle to understand.
