Postmodern society: past or present?

Abstract

The concept of "postmodernism" is considered as a socio-philosophical category. The most characteristic features of postmodernism are highlighted: pluralism of views and denial of progress, proclamation of the "end of history", rebellion against classical rationality, the dominance of anti-fundamentalism and non-essentialism, rejection of truth, denial of the possibility of thinking of the subject as an ontological whole. In accordance with F. Jamieson's concept, postmodernity is interpreted as the logic of the culture of late capitalism, as a reaction to the historical failures of the 20th century. The author analyzes the question of the end of postmodernism, presents a brief overview of such trends of "post-postmodernism" as metamodernism, hypermodernism, etc., and shows that they either focus on issues that are not of broad public interest, or offer "reconciliation" with modernity, while thinking within the boundaries of postmodernist optics. Ultimately, the answer to the question of the end of postmodern society depends on how it is defined. If postmodernity is synonymous with a revolt against modernity, then, having fulfilled its historical task, it has exhausted itself. However, the essential features of culture and social life that the postmodern era brought with it remain in our time. This circumstance gives grounds to conclude that the modern era can be called late postmodernity, and it still appears as an ideological product of late capitalism.