Two Perspectives on the “Us” and Postmodern Thought

Abstract

This study offers a critical reading of the implications of importing postmodern thought into a non-Western context. It argues that postmodern claims on the relativity of truth, the deconstruction of grand narratives, the transcendence of the authority of universal reason, and scepticism toward human agency are grounded conditions of Western modernity that remain absent in partially modernized societies. The study shows that the adoption of postmodern critique in a modern/premodern context can contribute to the erosion of scientific objectivity, the justification of moral relativism, and the reinforcement of modes of traditional authority. This study focuses on the domains of science and ethics by deconstructing postmodernist arguments regarding scientific discourse and ethical standards. In addition, the study clarifies the differences between scientific, philosophical, and religious truths, as well as those between universal moral values and moral rules, and between theories of ethics and scientific theories.