18.1. Opposition “Modern-Postmodern” in Mankind’s Cultural and Civilized Development

Different approaches to the historical periodization of society’s life were outlined in the theme "The Subject of Social Philosophy”. Among them the special place was occupied by formation, civilization, waves and axial conceptions. These approaches do not contradict, but complement one another because each is based on a rod factor of social development: economic, ethno-cultural or technological one. In their unity, they help to establish the integrity of social development, because in real life material and spiritual factors are inextricably linked and influence each other.

These concepts of historical periodization primarily refer to the analysis of humanity's past and present periods of social progress but mankind can’t help trying to predict the future. That is why in philosophy, sociology, culturology and other social sciences one can see a lot of theories, which develop strategy of future of the human civilization through matching or contrasting past and future. (The term "strategy" means an overall perspective plan of specific actions; in contrast to it the term "tactics" denotes immediate concrete actions with the help of the certain means. Tactics is subject to strategy).

Among theories of civilization development special attention is drawn to the concept of historical stages periodization in cultural development. In the centre of the concept there are the “opposite”, or “controversial” relations of “modern – postmodern” (“opposition” means counteraction; “controversial” - dissension). Some thinkers see a tough confrontation between modern and postmodern, others insist that there is a significant difference between them, but these stages in human development can not be opposed.

In modern philosophical literature there is a widely-spread thought that such a historical periodization of common civilization is more complete than previous ones, covering various spheres of social life in their unity and mutual controversy, being the main feature of the culture in future.

Different philosophers define the term "modern" and "postmodern" in different ways paying attention to various features inherent in the stages of culture development, marked with these terms. Therefore it is necessary to establish the basic differences between Modern era culture and Postmodern era culture as stages in the culture of mankind.

For the first time the question of Modern as a historical epoch was initiated by G.W.F. Hegel. According to his theory Modern is a modern time in the European culture, namely: three centuries from 1500 to 1800. (One should pay attention that there is some difference between Modern and modernity). Modernity typically is related to the modern era and to modernism and denotes “a post-traditional, post-medieval historical period”, in particular, one marked by progress from agrarianism via the rise of industrialism, capitalism, secularization, the nation-state, and its constituent institutions and form of surveillance. In art history, the term “modernity” is distinct from the terms “Modern Age” and “Modernism”; it is a discrete term applied to the cultural condition in which the seemingly absolute necessity of innovation becomes a primary fact of life, work, and thought.

At its simplest, modernity is a shorthand term for modern society, or industrial civilization. Portrayed in more detail, it is associated with:

1) a certain set of attitudes towards the world, the idea of the world as open to transformation, by human intervention;

2) a complex of economic institutions, especially industrial production and a market economy;

3) a certain range of political institutions, including the nation-state and mass democracy.

Largely as a result of these characteristics, modernity is vastly more dynamic than any previous type of social order. It is a society which, unlike any preceding culture, lives in the future, rather than the past.

Postmodernity (also spelled post-modernity or termed the postmodern condition) is generally used to describe the economic and/or cultural state or condition of society which is said to exist after modernity. Some schools of thought hold that modernity ended in the late XX c., replaced by postmodernity, while others would extend modernity to cover the developments denoted by postmodernity. At the same time others suggest that the modern project is not finished. For example, this point of view is shared by J. Habermas who sees mankind within the modern project. A range of theorists have tried to analyze the present as a development of the modern project into a second, distinct phase that is nevertheless still “modernity”: this has been termed the “risk” society by U. Beck, “late” modernity by A. Giddens, “liquid” modernity by Z. Bauman and the “network” society by M. Castells.

The debate on postmodernity has two distinct elements that are often confused; (1) the nature of contemporary society and (2) the nature of the critique of contemporary society. The first of these elements is concerned with the nature of changes that took place during the late XX c. It denotes to the condition or a state of being associated with changes to institutions and conditions and with social and political results and innovations, globally but especially in the West since the 1960s. Modernity is defined as a period or condition loosely identified with the Progressive Era, the Industrial Revolution, or the Enlightenment. In philosophy and critical theory postmodernity refers to the state or condition of society which is said to exist after modernity, a historical condition that marks the reasons for the end of modernity. This usage is ascribed to the philosopher J.-F. Lyotard and J. Baudrillard.

Another set of issues concerns the nature of critique, often replaying debates over universalism and relativism, where modernism is seen to represent the former and postmodernism the latter. Postmodernism is an aesthetic, literary, political or social philosophy, the “cultural and intellectual phenomenon”. The relationship between postmodernity and critical theory, sociology and philosophy is fiercely contested and the terms “postmodernity” and “postmodernism” are often hard to distinguish, the former being often the result of the latter.

Postmodernity has been said to have gone thought two relatively distinct phases, the first beginning at the end of the Cold War (when analog media encouraged a few, authoritative media channels) and the second beginning at the end of the Cold War (marked by the spread of cable television and “new media” based on digital means of information and broadcast). The first phase of postmodernity overlaps the end of modernity and is regarded by many as being part of the modern period. Television became the primary news source, manufacturing decreased in importance in the economies of Western Europe and the United States but trade volumes increased within the developed core. In 1967-1969 a crucial cultural explosion took place within the developed world as the baby boom generation, demanded entrance into the political, cultural and educational power structure. A series of demonstrations and acts of rebellion – ranging from nonviolent and cultural, through violent acts of terrorism – represented the opposition of the young to the policies and perspectives of the previous age. Opposition to the Vietnam War, to laws allowing or encouraging racial segregation and to laws which overtly discriminated against women and restricted access to divorce, increased use of marijuana and hallucinogens, the emergence of pop cultural styles of music and drama, including rock music and the ubiquity of stereo, television and radio helped make these changes visible in the broader cultural context. This period is associated with the work of M. McLuhan, a philosopher who focused on the results of living in a media culture and argued that participation in a mass media culture both overshadows actual content disseminated and is liberating because it loosens the authority of local social normative standards.

The second phase of postmodernity is defined by “digitality” – the increasing power of personal and digital means of communication including fax machines, modems, cable and high speed internet, which has altered the condition of postmodernity dramatically: digital production of information allows individuals to manipulate virtually every aspect of the media environment. This has brought producers into conflict over intellectual capital and intellectual property and led to the creation of a new economy whose supporters argue that the dramatic fall in information costs will alter society fundamentally.

The simplest demarcation of this era is the collapse of the Soviet Union and the liberalization of China in 1991. For a period of time it was believed that this change, which was called “The End of History” by F. Fukuyama, ended the need for an overarching social order.

Some philosophers and scientists insist on the point of view that postmodernity covers not all culture but treats only with literature, art and religion. But most researchers believe that it penetrates into economy, politics, morality, and science - all areas of public life.

Can you believe that the postmodern era has already occurred and has become a general planetary phenomenon? Answering this question, it should be noted that the opposition of "modern - postmodern" is a phenomenon of Western culture, although some postmodern trends touch other regions of our planet. And even in relation to Western Europe postmodern phenomenon there is no clearly defined set of attributes. The prefix "post" means only that there are major differences in the basic characteristics of modern era culture and culture of the new historical period, following modern. But now one can only talk about its first steps and first hypothesis, theories, concepts, predictions of its formation, i.e. strategic objectives and prospects for social development. And it seems possible that the new stage in the future progress of mankind will acquire another name.