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suspicion, and largely with derision.
Within a philosophical tradition of
linguistic analysis, continental
structuralism seemed ultimately
simplistic—although it was often
written in impenetrable prose that
belied its literary roots.
The squabbles of philosophers
did not inspire the popular culture
of the time. This may have been
because postmodernism was largely
incomprehensible to the general
public. Their most common
experience of it was postmodern art,
which was highly conceptual and
accompanied by knowing references
by an intellectual elite. It seemed to
deliberately exclude any possibility
of mass appreciation, and became
seen as an abstract philosophy only
enjoyed by professional academics
and artists, and out of touch with
the world most people lived in. Thepublic, as well as businesses and
governments, wanted more down-
to-earth guidance from philosophy.A more practical approach
Though postmodern philosophy
may not have found favor with the
majority of the general public, some
philosophers of the period chose to
focus on more pressing social,
political, and ethical questions
that had more relevance to people’s
everyday lives. Thinkers in
postcolonial Africa such as Frantz
Fanon began to examine race,
identity, and the problems that
were inherent in any struggle for
liberation. Later thinkers, such as
Henry David Oruka, would begin
to amass a new history of African
philosophy, questioning the rules
governing philosophy itself, and
what it should include.Continuing in the tradition of
Simone de Beauvoir’s existential
feminist philosophy, French
philosophers such as Hélène
Cixous and Luce Irigaray added
a postmodern perspective to
feminism, but other thinkers on
both sides of the Atlantic left
postmodernism completely to
one side. Some, such as American
philosopher John Rawls and
Germany’s Jürgen Habermas,
returned to examining important
everyday concepts in depth, such
as justice and communication.
The more practical approach to
philosophy in the 21st century has
led to a renewed public interest in
the subject. There is no way of
predicting what direction it will
take, but philosophy is certain to
continue to provide the world with
thought-provoking ideas. ■CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY
1969
1971 2009
1979 2001
1989
1992
1994
Jean-François Lyotard
publishes The Postmodern
Condition: A Report
on Knowledge.Al-Qaeda terrorist
attacks on New York
and Washington,
D.C., US, lead to the
“War on Terror.”Many European states
overthrow their communist
regimes, including Poland,
Hungary, East Germany,
Bulgaria, Romania,
and Czechoslovakia.The World Wide Web
opens up to home and
personal use.The non-government
environment agency
Greenpeace is formed
in Canada, evolving
from peace movements
and antinuclear groups.Barack Obama
becomes the first
African-American
president of the
United States.Apollo 11 becomes
the first successful
manned mission
to the moon.
Henry David
Oruka publishes
Sage Philosophy.