Postmodernist Relativism: A Return to Polytheism?
Lorena Ortiz Cabrero
The Maastricht Journal of Liberal Arts July 12, 2018 DOI: 10.26481/mjla.2018.v10.581 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that postmodernist, relativistic belief systems in post-secular Western societies combine religiously inspired practices with a scientific worldview, and that this combination shares the multiplicity of approaches characteristic of polytheism but not the conceptualisation of beliefs as divine. |
Abstract
Despite distancing themselves from traditional religions, (Western) post-secular societies are still heavily concerned with ‘spirituality’ and other forms of self-realisation. Within our working postmodernist framework, where ‘truth’, ‘knowledge’ and ‘God’ are found to be relative, this concern often translates into a combination of religiously inspired practices – such as (Hinduist) yoga or (Buddhist) meditation – and a scientific, modern approach to the knowledge of the world. Can this coexistence of practices be a new kind of polytheism? This paper shows that postmodernist, relativistic belief systems share the poly-, or multiplicity of approaches to life and reality, but not the -theist, or conceptualisation of their beliefs as ‘divine’.
Citations in the library
Cites 3
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