8/8/2019 The Postmodernist's Creed

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-postmodernists-creed 1/9

INTRODUCTION TO

PHILOSOPHY

THE POSTMODERNIST¶S

CREED

8/8/2019 The Postmodernist's Creed

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-postmodernists-creed 2/9

THE POSTMODERNIST·S

CREED³Nothing is certain.´

³Nobody knows anything for sure.´³Everything ought to be doubted.´

³What is true for you may not be true for 

me.´

8/8/2019 The Postmodernist's Creed

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-postmodernists-creed 3/9

´Nothing is certain.µIs this statement certain?

a. If so, it contradicts itself, since one thing

is certain: that nothing is certain.

b. If this statement isn¶t certain, why is it

stated in such certain terms?

It¶s wording doesn¶t convey a sense of 

uncertainty about its truth. The postmodernist

apparently is certain about this. See a.

c. Either way, I must conclude that this

statement is false.

8/8/2019 The Postmodernist's Creed

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-postmodernists-creed 4/9

´Nobody knows anything

for sure.µCan I know this for sure?

a. If I can know this for sure, then the statement

contradicts itself.b. If I can¶t know this for sure, then why is it stated

so surely, in such forceful, confident language?

It seems as if the postmodernist believes

this to be a certainty. See a.c. Either way, I must conclude that this statement

also is false.

8/8/2019 The Postmodernist's Creed

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-postmodernists-creed 5/9

´Everything ought to be

doubted.µDoes this include the statement,

³Everything ought to be doubted?´

a. `If it does include the statement

³Everything must be doubted,´ then I

must doubt that everything ought to be

doubted. I will either end up rejecting the statement or 

accepting it.

8/8/2019 The Postmodernist's Creed

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-postmodernists-creed 6/9

´Everything ought to be

doubted.µ (continued)If I refuse to doubt the above

statement, I will be creating a ³DO

NOT DOUBT!´ box.

DO

NOT

DOUBT

THIS!

If I put anything in this box, I refute the

above statement!

´Everything ought to

be doubted.µ

8/8/2019 The Postmodernist's Creed

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-postmodernists-creed 7/9

´Everything ought to be

doubted.µ (continued)If I decide to doubt the above statement,

What criterion will I use to determine if the

statement can survive my doubting process, andbecome a certainty?

Choosing any criterion establishes something objective

that cannot be doubted.

This refutes the above statement.

´Everything ought to

be doubted.µ

If I can¶t find a criterion, I

can¶t start doubting!

Either way, I must conclude

the above statement is false.

8/8/2019 The Postmodernist's Creed

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-postmodernists-creed 8/9

´What·s true for you may

not be true for me.µObviously, this statement must apply to itself, aswell as to all other truth claims. If so, then the above statement is true for you, but not

necessarily for me.

So, if it¶s not true for me, then I must be open to theidea that some things that are true for you are also truefor me. There must be a jointly held ³truth box´ we both can access.

How we decide what belongs in it requires criteria we can both

agree about. The criteria become some things that are both true for you and

true for me, and for everyone.

This means the statement above is false.

TRUTHBOX

8/8/2019 The Postmodernist's Creed

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-postmodernists-creed 9/9

Self-referential

IncoherenceThis occurs when a statement cannot be trueif it is applied to itself.

 All four of the Postmodernist¶s Creed truthclaims are this way. The only way they can be true is if they are false.

This results in a self-contradicting set of beliefs.

The Law of Noncontradiction is essential torationality. Therefore, the Postmodernist¶s Creed is irrational.