Böcker av Julian Young

What is postmodernism -- postmodernism as philosophy -- and what should we think of it? The first eight chapters of Julian Young's new book examine the thought of key postmodernist philosophers: Lyotard, Deleuze, Foucault, Baudrillard, Derrida, Vattimo, Rorty, and Judith Butler. In the final chapter, Young turns to the question of what makes them "postmodernists." His conclusion is that postmodernism is best thought of as composed of two elements: "descriptive postmodernism" and "normative postmodernism." Descriptive postmodernism is the sociological thesis that in the middle of the twentieth century a rupture occurred in Western society that was sufficiently radical to differentiate "modernity" and "postmodernity" into two different historical epochs. What defines our new epoch is, above all, the loss of "grand narratives" -- or, as Nietzsche called it, "the death of God." Normative postmodernism is the view that we should accept, even celebrate, our "postmodern condition." With some exceptions, postmodernist philosophers subscribe to both the descriptive and the normative theses. Young argues that while descriptive postmodernism presents an essentially true account of our current cultural condition, that condition is a pathological development in the history of the West. Since postmodern philosophy welcomes the condition it, too, he concludes, is a pathological development. Grand narratives are something we need, so we should not celebrate their loss. Postmodernists, in Young's assessment, use obscure and fuzzy language. Generally hailing from literary rather than philosophical backgrounds, their commentators are often even more obscurer and fuzzier. Writing as a philosopher, Young attempts to subject the postmodernists to philosophical standards of cogency and clarity.

In addition to being a great composer, Richard Wagner was also an important philosopher. Julian Young begins by examining the philosophy of art and society Wagner constructs during his time as a revolutionary anarchist-communist. Modernity, Wagner argued, is to be rescued from its current anomie through the rebirth of Greek tragedy (the original Gesamtkunstwerk) in the form of the ';artwork of the future, an artwork of which his own operas are the prototype. Young then examines the entirely different philosophy Wagner constructs after his 1854 conversion from Hegelian optimism to Schopenhauerian pessimism. ';Redemption' now becomes, not a future utopia in this world, but rather ';transfigured' existence in another world, attainable only through death. Viewing Wagner's operas through the lens of his philosophy, the book offers often novel interpretations of Lohengrin, The Ring cycle, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger, and Parsifal. Finally, Young dresses the cause of Friedrich Nietzsche's transformation from Wagner's intimate friend and disciple into his most savage critic. Nietzsche's fundamental accusation, it is argued, is one of betrayal: that Wagner betrayed his early, ';life affirming' philosophy of art and life in favor of ';life-denial. Nietzsche's assertion and the final conclusion of the book is that our task, now, is to ';become better Wagnerians than Wagner.'

In this comprehensive introduction, Julian Young covers the major aspects of Schopenhauer's philosophy. He discusses the central areas of Schopenhauer's metaphysics, fundamental to understanding his work as a whole.