Philosophical anthropology in postmodernism

Abstract

© 2018, Slovenska Vzdelavacia Obstaravacia. All rights reserved. The approach to studying society in the postmodernist framework is relevant to understand postmodernist paradigm in contemporary philosophy. The rapid development of computerization and mass media in postmodern culture has been destroying the quality of human interaction with the surrounding environment and social reality, causes a feeling of losing touch with reality. This is due to the emergence of many virtual realities. The purpose of the article is to analyze the anthropological ideas in the philosophy of postmodernism. Postmodern anthropology is realized not only in the context of scientific revolution and internal form of culture but also as self-consciousness of modern civilization. Postmodernists prefer to discuss human beings as not whole self-contained individuals, units that may be broken down (divided), and call them ‘dividuals,’ beings or persons significantly distinct from their modern descendants, this being the best characteristic of the modern social state and contrasting to a Cartesian tradition. Methodologically the article is based on a systematic approach combining structural-functional, dialectical and hermeneutical methods. This approach allows us to reveal essential aspects of postmodern philosophy in their dialectical interrelation, to overcome constraints inherent in the heuristic potential of certain methodologies. The survey covers issues related both directly to the field of general theoretical postmodern philosophy and social sciences and makes a review on the researches on the human identity in the postmodern era. The analysis conducted made it possible to distinguish the main characteristics of postmodernism. The main intention of postmodernism considered is the crushing criticism of traditional values: humanism, rationalism, radicalism towards social structure and development, its rejection, denial of individuals' ability to be responsible for their actions, their inability to resist the power of supranational structures.