Truth, Thought Provocation, and Controversy

Living in a postmodern world means accepting and knowing that everything we know is not necessarily true or viewed in just one way. All the facts and concrete evidence we all think we know of as cold hard truth, is almost really just an assumption. We think we know all these things, but after further thinking, do we really know anything? Is anything actually true?

The fact that not one thing ever has a single, true meaning is a factor of postmodern life that we must come to realize exists. An example would be the news broadcasting companies. Whether it be radio, television, or the internet, how can we believe them? It all has to start with one voice, which can easily skew information. The potentially, and most likely, skewed information is then passed on and on from one medium to another until the public hears it. Now, most of us believe this information, but digging deeper, it’s just another example of how everything is subject to the individual and everything we think to be true, has no real truth to it.

Because we can never really know the truth about anything, we make assumptions and opinions. Post modernism runs heavily on controversy and the provocation of thought. So, for example, a picture of a crumbled up piece of paper is portrayed to some as a wonderful piece of art while others couldn’t care less about the meaningless frame. This is because it’s all subject to opinion. One person may see it as the struggle of creativity or the harsh failures that someone endures every day. They think that though it’s simple, it’s a great piece of art because it evokes thought and curiosity in the viewer. On the contrary, the picture is boring, plain, and requires no talent; it should not be considered art. Both controversy and differentiation of opinion are the fuel for postmodernism.