Naturalism and Postmodernism
(1) "In philosophy, naturalism is the idea or belief that only natural laws and forces (as opposed to supernatural ones) operate in the universe.” (Wikipedia, “Naturalism”)
The claim that only natural laws and forces operate in the universe is basic and overarching for naturalism as a worldview.
In a memorable characterization by Francis A. Schaeffer (1912-1984), the universe in naturalistic term may say to be: Nature = matter + energy + time + chance
Any naturalistic theory is both reductionist and constructivist.
Naturalistic theory is reductionist in that all phenomena must ultimately be explained in terms of matter + energy + time + chance.
The reduction process need not be a one-step process.
The reduction processes may be many-stepped, but at the bottom of the reduction must be matter + energy + time + chance.
Reduction is the downward direction; the upward direction is construction.
In a naturalistic theory, all phenomena must ultimately be constructed out of matter + energy + time + chance.
Again, the construction need not be one-stepped, but may be many-stepped.
But the construction, in a proper naturalistic theory, must begin with matter + energy + time + chance.
(2) Postmodernism may be seen as a consequence of the failure of naturalistic theories to reduce man to matter + energy + time + chance; and to construct man out of the same.
(Wikipedia, “Postmodernism”):
Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourse which challenges worldviews associated with Enlightenment rationality dating back to the 17th century. Postmodernism is associated with relativism and a focus on ideology in the maintenance of economic and political power. Postmodernists are "skeptical of explanations which claim to be valid for all groups, cultures, traditions, or races, and instead focuses on the relative truths of each person". It considers "reality" to be a mental construct. Postmodernism rejects the possibility of unmediated reality or objectively-rational knowledge, asserting that all interpretations are contingent on the perspective from which they are made; claims to objective fact are dismissed as naive realism.
The two main worldviews in contention in the West are Christian Theism and naturalism.
Since the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), the West has a good idea what a post-Christian world would look like.
With the rise of postmodernism, the world is finding out now what a world that rejects Enlightenment rationality would look like.
The worldview that underlies Enlightenment rationality is naturalism.
In rejecting Enlightenment rationality, the postmodernists are conceding the failure of naturalism as a worldview.
Arguably, if naturalism was more successful in its reduction of man to, and the construction of man out of, matter + energy + time + chance, then there would be no postmodernism.
Postmodernists are those whom accept the failure of naturalism and cannot accept Christian Theism either.
In rejecting naturalism and Christian Theism, they have, in effect, reject all worldviews or grand narratives.
Reality as a mental construct is inherited from a demand on naturalistic theories.
But having accepted the failure of naturalism, the postmodernists have nothing to construct man out of, nor do they have anything to reduce man to.
The social constructs of the postmodernists are therefore anarchistic -- anything goes.
Postmodernist man and woman have lost themselves; they are not even matter + energy + time + chance anymore.
The consequences are its relativism in truth and ethics, and its relativistic social constructs.
The rise of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) is a consequence of this relativism in truth and ethics.
Without the Holy Bible and its Christian Theism, man and woman do not even know who they are anymore.
End.
