The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge (Theory and History of Literature, Volume 10)
by Jean-Francois Lyotard

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Book Reviews of The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge (Theory and History of Literature, Volume 10)

Book Review: A seminal work of the late twentieth century
Summary: 4 Stars

This isn't college so I'm not going to pretend to remember all my fancy debate techniques, but a few things stick out. Lyotard asserts that the late 20th century is characterized by experts who generate self-perpetuated claims to legitimacy (he calls this process legitimation and alludes to Wittgenstein, which I have to admit was always too boring for me to read or understand due to my simple-minded nature). This small group of technocratic experts wields an unbalanced amount of influence in the shaping of knowledge, from governmental gnomes to university academics. I also remember becoming interested in the idea of "intervention". At one point can one intervene in a situation, that is, to seek to alter it? What are the rules of an ethical intervention, as opposed to what Lyotard does, which is to document the destruction? It is interesting to read Habermas as a radical contrast to Lyotard.

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