Brad Alles

There are ramifications for Post-Modern thinking on our society. If we’ve rejected objective reality so the world is what you and your culture create, and if there is no truth, just interpretations by different people and cultures, then nothing can be known or communicated. What we have is a collection of truths for groups. We have the Christian truth, the Muslim truth, the American truth, the Mexican truth, the Canadian truth and so on. What happens when these “truths” collide? “Which community gets to decide between rival communities when it comes to conflicting ideas?”

This leads to a second consequence. People don’t refute arguments; they situate them. This is heard in the common expression, “That’s true for you, but not for me.” Or it may come out in an expression like, “You just say that because you’re a Christian.” The facts of the argument will not be addressed; the person arguing will be the focus. And rightfully so for the Post-Modernist; why deal with objective reality and facts when they don’t count? The focus of the discussion is on the person talking, or the group or culture from which they come, not on the issue.

Imagine trying to put a puzzle together without the image from the top of the box.  There’s no standard.  There’s no truth–the right answer.  How do we respond to these consequences?  The next blogs will address that.