Lyotard identifies the crisis of legitimacy in grand narratives as a characteristic of the "postmodern condition." Metanarratives are systems of thought that present themselves as the ultimate criteria for truth, legitimacy, justification, explanation, and judgment. Among these metanarratives are the "speculative narrative" and the "emancipatory narrative," both of which are based on the "representational theory of knowledge," upon which modern knowledge and rationality are founded. This paper aims to demonstrate how Lyotard’s critique of the "representational theory of knowledge" sets the stage for his critique of all metanarratives and modern science and rationality. By emphasizing the relationship between science and power on the one hand, and the plurality of language games on the other, Lyotard reveals the paralogical (fallacious) basis of legitimacy and justification in the domain of "knowledge and reason." The paper also addresses how Lyotard’s critique of disbelief in metanarratives paradoxically encompasses his own claim, which could be seen as a new metanarrative emerging from the postmodern condition. Furthermore, Lyotard discusses the diversity of language games and simultaneously rejects the grand narratives that illegitimately attempt to assert their superiority, without distinguishing between them. This prescriptive critique of Lyotard’s, alongside his claim of diversity in the realm of language games, is another criticism of his thought in this paper, particularly in his critique of science and rationality in the postmodern condition
fathi, A. (2024). A Reflection on Lyotard’s Paralogical Approach to Knowledge and Rationality in "The Postmodern Condition". Shinakht (A Persian Word Means Knowledge), 17(1), 161-180. doi: 10.48308/kj.2024.235250.1235
MLA
ali fathi. "A Reflection on Lyotard’s Paralogical Approach to Knowledge and Rationality in "The Postmodern Condition"". Shinakht (A Persian Word Means Knowledge), 17, 1, 2024, 161-180. doi: 10.48308/kj.2024.235250.1235
HARVARD
fathi, A. (2024). 'A Reflection on Lyotard’s Paralogical Approach to Knowledge and Rationality in "The Postmodern Condition"', Shinakht (A Persian Word Means Knowledge), 17(1), pp. 161-180. doi: 10.48308/kj.2024.235250.1235
VANCOUVER
fathi, A. A Reflection on Lyotard’s Paralogical Approach to Knowledge and Rationality in "The Postmodern Condition". Shinakht (A Persian Word Means Knowledge), 2024; 17(1): 161-180. doi: 10.48308/kj.2024.235250.1235
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