Critical Conditions: Postmodernity and the Question of Foundations

The postmodern debate has been heavily influenced by often contradictory conclusions about the foundations of knowledge. Horace Fairlamb contends that philosophy’s foundationist quest has usually been misconceived as a choice between “super-science” and theoretical anarchy. Examining the history of foundationism, and providing detailed analysis of the work of leading theorists, including Fish, Foucault, Derrida, Gadamer and Habermas, Dr. Fairlamb argues for a less reductive and less arbitrary conception of knowledge and meaning. The result is an important contribution to the current reevaluation of theoretical discourse.