Drew on Modernity versus Postmodernity

Modernity versus Postmodernity

By Jurgen Habermas

In reading Greenburg, Marx, Clark and now Jurgen I see a common thread, they are all centered on European culture, European aesthetics, breaking away from the old aristocracy, revolutions, Avant-Grade movements and their foresight to push along political and cultural shifts this is all very old European problems, all that is fine but this is the 21^st century. This is America and I do believe cutting edge art comes from America not Europe! Or am I wrong here?

We have read these theories and theories about speculation but little or nothing about implementation of these theories.

Sure it is clear all these gentlemen are deep thinkers with the big propellers on top of their hats, in reading them I feel like I am climbing Jacobs’s ladder and am half way up in the clouds, still can I see them clearly but I do know they are not Gods, just men.

Greenburg, Marx and Jorgen speak so easily of restructuring society, easy to speak of such things, bless em for there thoughts but it’s the doing that’s hard.

It is also apparent they do not live in the real world of boots on the ground.

The world is a big place, there is room for all. I would hope that now and again they would down from the clouds to see it will be we poor mortals who live on the ground who suffer the outcome when their great theory’s bomb.

Question who here in America is engaged in writing of cultural changes??

Jurgen speaks of the 3 spheres from the life world, is he speaking of Europe only or the global culture? Why not 10 spheres?

I want one of my own.

Would Asia have a different set of spheres?

This is dreamier utopia Speak.

I thought Karl was dead.

The bit about assigning experts for each sphere is nuts, who would appoint these experts? Have we not already seen this in Germany and Russia?

We must be very careful of being told the experts will tell us what is good!

I see another thread; all the enlightened writers and thinkers who follow the arts follow the Avant–Garde because we the artist are the tip of the spear, this is where the changes in the arts come from, not from the clouds.

It is the artist on the ground, in the streets, seeing injustices and corruption. Art put change in action then the intellectuals write about it, critics it, give the work a name, praise the work, then take credit for it!

The thinkers react to the action of artists, go figure.

Should we poor mortals be concerned with the writing of the cloud people?

I love this part of Jurgen’s writings

“The Avant-Garde understands itself as invading unknown territory, exposing itself to dangers of sudden, shocking encounters, conquering an as yet unoccupied future”

Now that sure sounds like the opening dialog of STAR TREK

Beam me up Scotty.

Buy American

Drew