Explaining Postmodernism (Expanded Edition)

Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault

By: Stephen R. C. Hicks

Narrated by: Scott R. Smith

Tracing postmodernism from its roots in Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant to their development in thinkers such as Michel Foucault and Richard Rorty, philosopher Stephen Hicks provides a provocative account of why postmodernism has been the most vigorous intellectual movement of the late 20th century.

Why do skeptical and relativistic arguments have such power in the contemporary intellectual world? Why do they have that power in the humanities but not in the sciences? Why has a significant portion of the political left - the same left that traditionally promoted reason, science, equality for all, and optimism - now switched to themes of anti-reason, anti-science, double standards, and cynicism?

Explaining Postmodernism is intellectual history with a polemical twist, providing fresh insights into the debates underlying the furor over political correctness, multiculturalism, and the future of liberal democracy.

This expanded edition includes two additional essays by Stephen Hicks: "Free Speech and Postmodernism" and "From Modern to Postmodern Art: Why Art Became Ugly".

©2004 Stephen Hicks (P)2018 Stephen Hicks

Excellent Work

This book is very much worth the time. The author makes a compelling case that post-modernism is in fact a dominant ideology that effect contemporary ideas. is research help me better understand critical race Theory and some other ideas that are promoted today.

Excellent book

The narration and writing are very good. Explains what’s going on now in America and with that understanding it helps you plan

Essential to understand the culture wars.

Hicks presents a comprehensive, thoughtful, and well justified criticism of postmodernism and explains how it is influencing some of the most significant political issues of our day.

Well worth the listen.

Dr. Hicks in this book has diagnosed the seminal problem of our day. Postmodernism has infiltrated many aspects of our society with only the intent to mock and destroy. Hicks’ brilliant dissection of the origins and causal pathway of the postmodern movement towards our current Western World should be required reading in every undergraduate philosophy class.

Accessable academic work by philosopher

This is a serious work of the history of postmodernism, starting with Kant. I'm not a philosopher or academic, but I'm educated and read a lot, and I still learned things I didn't know. I didn't know that post-modernism started with Kant, for example.
While the author is clearly not a fan of pomo, he doesn't set up any strawmen. In many parts of the book he didn't even provide an opinion after giving an account of some history.

While accessable, I wouldn't start with this book because it assumes a degree of knowledge of the main people and events.