Presocratics, Sophists, and Postmodernism

What do you see as a potential link between postmodernists and the ideas from Heraclitus, Protagoras, and Gorgias? Is there a connection? If so, what is it? If you think that such a connection is unsound--why so? How are the sophists and postmodernists similar? How are they different?

It has been argued that postmodernism is merely a rehash of ancient Greek sophistry and Greek Gnosticism. Do you agree or disagree? Why? Please give me (this class) your response and your ideas for why you think such.

Worldviews and Postmodernism

Several people in class expressed concern that they did not understand the idea(s) of postmodernism (aka PoMo). This is to be expected since we have not had much opportunity to cover these ideas in depth. Please be patient with the class because we will cover PoMo in greater detail toward the end of the course.

In brief, because postmodernists do not want to say there is an essence to anything, most postmodernists disagree with any transcendent ideas--those that are "true forever and always"--and strongly oppose any "metanarrative"--i.e., any way of viewing or talking about the world that claims to be true-for-all-times like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Marxism, and other all encompassing "isms." Many postmodernists focus on language because they believe that language can "change the world." Thus, the trend against any "sexist language" that talks about "mail men" or "chairman" or other such words that eliminates the "generic 'he'or 'him.'" They also emphasize pluralism and tolerance as the only way to engage ideas or people or cultures. The problem with this is that it eliminates the possibility of knowing Truth (capital T)and assumes that anything that can be known is only a "small t" truth that is limited in time, context, and to a particular social group.

See what you think about the ideas from the ancient Greek sophists and the debates between the Greek philosophers and the sophists. You might find some interesting similarities.

Begin with the beginning

This blog is designed for those who are part of Texas Tech University's Rhetoric in Western Thought class, COMS 3311.001. The blogspace is here for students to ask questions, respond to my comments,and to give us a format for interacting with each other and the class materials.

So, what is rhetoric? How do you understand its essence and nature? If it has been studied for the past 2500 years why do so few people know what it is? How is the word "rhetoric" usually used? Is it in a positive or negative sense?

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