The advent of postmodernism and the mortification of objective truth

If the Enlightenment was characterised by boundless optimism and hope, it is unsurprising that the post-WWII world, yoked with the hangover of two brutal wars, was marked by scepticism and despair. 

The atrocities of the first half of the 20th century had all but dashed man-centred idealism and to borrow Nietzsche’s imagery, Western civilisation had also long ‘killed‘ the Biblical God. With the absence of a substantive societal anchor, scepticism could only flourish, and it did.

Truth became relative and the only absolute of this era became the absurd, “there are no absolutes.” 

The growing affluence of the West, gave rise to a value system that came to define the spirit of the age. Francis Schaeffer defined it as, “the pursuit of personal peace and affluence.”

The defeat of Hitler, who had been the common enemy, led to the swift redrawing of fault lines between the Capitalist West, led by the United States and the Communist East, lead by the Soviet Russia, both of which harboured a visceral distrust of the other. 

With the presence of nuclear weaponry, the world lived under the unnerving and constant shadow of yet another world war. It is with some irony, however, that the presence of nuclear weaponry was perhaps the very reason open conflict between these two superpowers was largely avoided.

For much of this period, the quest for world dominance by these two ideologies defined social, political and economic engagement. 

Though they would pretend otherwise, both sides understood the self-destructive consequences of direct conflict and were careful not to provoke it. The rest of the world became the playground of the simmering hostilities, where both sides, to further their ideological ends, manipulated local and regional political contentions to further their strategic aims. 

This was particularly true in Eastern Europe, the Middle East developing Asia, Africa and South America, often leaving a trail of destructive consequences.

While the Cold War continued to smoulder, Europe and Japan, with the aid of the Marshall Plan, were busy rising from the proverbial ashes. By the beginning of the 80s, they had once again become affluent. 

“The winds of change”, meanwhile were blowing mightily through much of the African continent, bringing with them an infusion of optimism regarding the ‘endless possibilities’ of a postcolonial Africa. 

On the other side of the world, seemingly unnoticed by the rest of the world, following sweeping market oriented reforms by leader Deng Xiaoping in 1979; China was quietly but steadily beginning to emerge from the ash heap of communism-induced poverty. 

Its quiet ascent was soon to reach a game changing inflection point for the global political economy on the other side of the new millennium.

The long coming and sudden collapse of communist Russia in 1989 was celebrated as a triumph of good over evil by many, perhaps not without reason, as the system was associated with gross repression, severe human suffering and multitudinous mindless executions. To others, it merely marked the triumph of a lesser evil over a greater one.

The fall of communist Russia, perhaps as with its rise, was undoubtedly among the most significant events of the twentieth century. While there is much that is true about US sentiments of it having been an “evil empire”, as famously stated by President Ronald Reagan, certainly the record of tyranny speaks for itself, its rise and subsequent fall offers a few lessons:

1)There is no telling what exploits can be accomplished with an unflinching commitment to a clear vision. Beginning with a contemptible cadre that numbered only a handful of people in 1917, at its apogee, Marxist-Leninism had overrun roughly half of the world’s landmass and population.

2)Socio-economic disparities are dangerous breeding ground for all manner of destructive socio-political movements. 1917 Russia was a classical example of what perils this may pose. It was characterised by a small island of a landed aristocratic elite that lived in obscene opulence amidst an ocean of penury. The lot of the disenfranchised, frustrated and economically excluded serfdom gave rise to the dangerous mindset that there was nothing to lose. 

3)Contrary to the postmodernist paradigm, ideas are not all equally valid and beneficial. Which can only lead to the conclusion that there is such a thing as objective truth, with applicability not only to moral but also economic matters. While the nobility of the communist vision to rid the world of exploitation and “class differences” deserves to be acknowledged, it is clear that the principle of choice and personal responsibility are built into the very fabric of the material world. Thus, because it sought to flout this reality, the eventual collapse of Marxist-Leninism could only have been a matter of time.

With the elimination of the communist threat, surely there was no stopping the rise of the West? Indeed, this appeared true for most of the 1990s, often nicknamed “the roaring 90s”, with good reason…

Where can wisdom be found?

"Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where they refine gold.... but where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? (Job 28:1,12)

The pursuit of wisdom has been a preoccupation of man from time immemorial. The unfolding drama of history is set amidst the backdrop of a spurious promise for the "knowledge of good and evil" for Adam and his lineage. And so began mankind's elusive search for wisdom. Since then, generation after generation has embarked on this epic journey with notably impressive if not fleeting success.

Covering the spectrum of history has been the rise and fall of a plethora of renowned civilizations whose power, riches and knowledge at times seemed insuperable. In this regard, one thinks of the great Qin Empire that straddled parts of modern China, boasting artistic, cultural and technological exploits the fruits of which we are yet to fully exhaust.

Indeed, limited time does not allow for much detail, for we could discuss without end the glory of the ancient Egyptian empire, the cultural prowess of Ancient Japan, the might of South American empires including the Wari, Incas, the Mapuche and Araucanian peoples who all reigned supreme in their context. We could talk about the wonder of the classical Greek and Roman empires to which the foundation of our very own contemporary culture and thought are greatly indebted. Their glorious ascent, followed invariably by their ultimate decline, underlies the fundamental bankruptcy at the core of all our labours.

Standing at the dawn of the 21st century as we do, we are once again confronted by brittleness of our very own civilization. The purported brilliance of our economic theories and models have failed to prevent the melt down of our mighty economies. Our treasuries are overladen with debt that threatens to yoke us for generations to come.

Our unrivalled medical know-how stands coyly at the face of a rampant global pandemic that has accounted many millions of our very own. The brewing internal turmoil occasionally interrupts our busy lives with manifestations of inexplicable brutality. Our marriages are falling apart. Great advances in science, art and technology have failed to assuage the gnawing restlessness that respects neither the rich nor the poor, the young nor the old, eating away at our insides, our families and our communities.

The patriarch Job's ancient probing musings, ponder mankind's elusive search for wisdom, questions to which we are yet to find satisfying answers: but where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 

Maybe the truth to the questions that have taunted us for millennia are found at a source we have hoped we may never have to sincerely consult. Perhaps our millennia of wanderings have accumulated for us enough humility to contemplate the possibility that the ultimate answers lie with a source other than ourselves. Or maybe we are content to meander for another generation before we muster the courage to face the inevitable conclusion. Whatever our choice in this regard, we are confronted by Job's answer to this profound conundrum that astounds in its simplicity:

"God understands its way, and He knows its place. "For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. "When He imparted weight to the wind and meted out the waters by measure, when He set a limit for the rain and a course for the thunderbolt, then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out.

And to man He said: 

'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'" 

(Job 28:23-28)