I'm thinking of
my argument for my final analysis and I can first ascertain that there
are many viewpoints on what postmodernism actually is.Yet what is
evident is the force of meta narrative to deconstruct and redefine what
we think we think is reality.
Ive
been reading up on Francis Fukuyama in Malpas .In particular at his
argument in The End of History and the Last Man.He is essentially taking
Hegel's approach of absolute idealism as 'a movement towards the
realisation of universal freedom. He is arguing that in mans ideological
struggles are largely ending,but this is viewed with hindsight as he is
looking at the end of the cold war .Thus the ideal of a liberal
democracy and in particular at the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989
,reinforces his political opinion.But this argument of the 'west is
reaching the end of history rests on 2 arguments drawn from natural
science and a reading of Hegel's idea of freedom as a struggle for
recognising.The first he claims makes necessary "a universal evolution
in the direction of
capitalism (1991:19)
'Technology
makes possible the limitless accumulation of wealth ,and thus the
satisfaction of an ever expanding set of human desires.This process
guarantees an increasing homogenisation of all human societies
,regardless of their origins or cultural inheritances.'. (Malpas
2005:90) Thus he is looking at technological innovation as a progression
and globalisation of 'trade that technological development permits
erases the differences between cult's as their citizen's strive to
purchase the same international brands.Because for Fukuyma ,capitalism
is best able to provide the conditions for this development ..'(Malpas
2005:91)Thus Fukuyma is looking at a direct link between
capitalism,globalisation and democracy as natural development and
globalisation of culture makes each culture come into contact with the
'same international brands'.(Malpas 2005:91) Thus sense a capitalist
democracy which challenges Baudrillard's perception as a 'perverse
literalisation of Hegel's argument about the relation between the actual
and the rational which he calls the hyper real.'(Malpas 2005:93)
Baudrillard is essentially arguing that this rate or speed of
technological advance has caused us to become a hypereal society ,where
information is not necessary digested ,but has become a a society where
the original is no longer the method of identity.In essence
globalisation has created global images of duplicate identification
which has preceded the original .'The real is hyper realised.Neither
realised nor idealised :but hyperealised.The hypereal is the abolition
of the real not by violent distinction ,but by its assumption elevation
to the strength of the model .' (1983:83-4)(Malpas 2005:93)
The
second thread to Fukuyma argument is that of Derrida. He looked at the
concept of the promised land of liberal democracy. And Derrida is
arguing that Fukumas argument is flawed as it is based on a 'empirically
observable event.'.So we are looking at the world from a western
perspective and in terms of deconstruction ,Derrida is arguing that
Fukuma is not looking at the bigger picture that not all people are
Democratic and his argument is split between the 'idealisation of a
liberal democracy and the free market and the impossibility of
demonstrating such a system exist.'(Malpas 2005:93)So essentially
Derrida is deconstructing Fukuma ,by trying to show that the ideal is
actually fragmented within itself ,further generating more problems.
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