I finished my most recent read, "Philosophy and Theology" by John D. Caputo, and I hope to share some things from that book, as well as "Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?" But both have piqued my interest in Soren Kierkegaard, a 19th Century Danish philosopher. He and Nietzsche represent two early starting points for postmodern thought (the former the religious, the later the secularist), at least according to Caputo. In any case, I bought a book today to start reading on the way home. It is "The Cambridge Companion to Kierkegaard." I have not started it, but the introduction page certainly makes me excited to read more:
Few thinkers have been so consistently misunderstood as Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855). Amongst the many myths that have attached themselves to his work is the belief that Kierkegaard was an irrationalist who denied the value of clear and honest thinking. The truth is that Kierkegaard did deny the power of reason to uncover universal and objective truth in matters of value, but in the current philosophical climate there is nothing irrational about that.
The contributors to this companion probe the full depth of Kierkegaard's thought, revealing its distinctive subtlety. The topics covered include Kierkegaard's views on art and religion, ethics and psychology, theology and politics, and knowledge and virtue. Much attention is devoted to the pervasive influence of Kierkegaard on twentieth-century philosophy and theology.
I know, I know, far too exciting for most people to read... But I think that the above summary of Kierkegaard's thrust is a great starting point for describing Postmodernism, or at least Postmodern thinking.
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