This Paper Serves No Logical Purpose
"This sentence serves
no logical purpose."
Before analyzing the text prompt "This sentence serves no logical purpose" under the constraints of postmodernism it is important to understand what facets of postmodernism this sentence confronts. Likewise addressing how the same sentence not only confronts but conforms to the patterns of postmodernism.
Definition
of Postmodernism
Postmodernism in theory can't be defined. Trying to summarize postmodernism in a definition would undermine the very idea of postmodernism. The word embodies the most recent cultural movement. It is based on a horizontal hierarchy of gaining knowledge and the push toward more comprehensive thinking. Horizontally structured knowledge is a way of stating there is less weight put on who is giving the information and their credentials. Instead postmodern thought gives equal credibility and authority to everyone. Before the Postmodern movement there was the modernist movement. Modernism gave the highest priority of determining truth to empirical knowledge. Science was the end of the argument in modernist social groups. Society regarded its purpose and goals based on indisputable fact. In a postmodern society people find that knowing facts and hard data gives little comfort to our higher purpose on this earth and in this universe. Postmodern thinking attacks issues from many viewpoints and doesn't allow for any overarching truths, since every individual has his own application of truth. All of the information is essentially relative. One individual's opinion is just that, an individual opinion. A person has no obligation to consider another argument for truth in so much they let it. As the sentence is unpacked in the next section keep in mind the overriding themes of postmodernism; horizontal credibility and comprehensive thinking, all from the aspect of relative communication between individuals.
The
Sentence
The point of writing sentences, paragraphs, essays and stories is to communicate individual opinions to the masses. The crucial questions for any work of writing: Is this idea important? Who says it's important? Why should the idea be shared? With the postmodern frame of mind the importances of ideas individually and corporately rival each other. The individual has absolute authority and other outside influences have no authority. Individual ideas are regarded with utmost importance. For instance, someone might believe that there is a God and another might claim there is no God. To each individual their view is of highest significance, when they communicate their idea about God there is no regard for the opposing view. The progression of knowledge is individually selected. If understanding is mostly level in a postmodern viewpoint then naturally; who decides in the end what in important and what is not?
"You may have two degrees, but I read an article on Wikipedia once" (Sherill, 2008). As this quote illustrates postmodernism doesn't give authority to one person's opinion over another, despite the years of traditional schooling or similar credibility this person may have acquired. This brings into the debate not only does this sentence serve a logical purpose, but who says what is logical and what a legitimate purpose is? To a certain individual it may serve a great purpose, even if that purpose is to make logic out of something illogical. To another individual the sentence may have no significance and thus be a waste of words on a page. The problem is no one can give more authoritative influence to end the stale-mate of opinions. There are no points for applying scholarly and universal thinking; just having an opinion is good enough for Postmodernism.
Finally bypassing the questions of importance; why should the idea even be shared? The purpose for sharing ideas, and arguably the reason for language, is to change the opinion of both the audience and the artist. This interaction between individuals and society creates a natural evolution of thought and truth. Postmodernism puts high emphasis on the artist's opinions but puts very little pressure to find overall truths.
Postmodernism,
a Paper and a Sentence
Why does this sentence serve no logical purpose? Dr. Mark Schuler told his class to write why this sentence has no logical purpose and, according to postmodern thought, it doesn't matter whether it is logical or not; nor does it matter if it has a purpose that applies to all individuals. This sentence has the purpose that an individual gives it and only the individual. There is no authoritative power which says this sentence has to have purpose. There is no interaction through communication that can make individuals change their mind beyond what they are willing to accept. The author of this paper says the sentence does indeed serve no logical purpose. Based on the relative understanding of both logic and purpose in the postmodern society this sentence had only one purpose, to have 813 words written about it.
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