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Lyotard JeanFranois

Aug 10, 1924

Rating : AA (Data from a birth certificate)

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Remembering Since 1998

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Death:Death by Disease 21 April 1998 (leukemia) chart Placidus Equal_H.

Ai Generated Biography Biography

French post-structuralist philosopher and literary theorist. Lyotard is best known for his highly influential formulation of postmodernism in The Postmodern Condition. Lyotard was a very prolific writer; his writings cover a large range of topics in philosophy, politics, and aesthetics, and experiment with a wide variety of styles. His works can be roughly divided into three categories: early writings on phenomenology, politics, and the critique of structuralism, the intermediate libidinal philosophy, and later work on postmodernism and the “differend.” His work exceeds many popular conceptions of postmodernism in its depth, imagination, and rigor. His thought remains pivotal in contemporary debates surrounding philosophy, politics, social theory, cultural studies, art and aesthetics. He died from leukemia on 21 April 1998, Paris. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less

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Update at: Jul 6, 2025
`` Jean-François Lyotard

Jean-François Lyotard (1924-1998)

Jean-François Lyotard, born in Versailles, France, on August 10, 1924, was a prominent French philosopher, sociologist, and literary theorist. He is best known for his articulation of postmodernism in The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge (1979). This work critically examined the status of knowledge in advanced industrial societies, arguing that grand narratives, or overarching explanations of history and human progress, had lost their credibility in the face of diverse and fragmented perspectives. He emphasized the importance of local, situated knowledge and the role of language games in shaping our understanding of reality.

Unfortunately, due to his passing in 1998, there are no active social media profiles associated with Jean-François Lyotard. News related to him is primarily focused on scholarly analyses and interpretations of his work. His influence continues to be felt in fields such as philosophy, literary theory, cultural studies, and art.

Key Themes and Concepts

  • Postmodernism: Lyotard's work is foundational to understanding postmodern thought, particularly his critique of metanarratives and emphasis on language games. He argued that knowledge in postmodern societies is characterized by its heterogeneity and its connection to power relations.
  • Language Games: This concept, derived from Wittgenstein, highlights the ways in which meaning is constructed through different rules and contexts of language use. Lyotard emphasized the incommensurability of different language games, suggesting that they cannot be easily translated or compared.
  • The Differend: Lyotard introduced the concept of the differend to describe situations where parties in a dispute cannot agree on the terms of the debate. This arises from the incommensurability of different language games and highlights the potential for injustice when one party's language game dominates.
  • The Sublime: Lyotard also explored the aesthetic category of the sublime, understanding it as an experience of encountering something that exceeds our capacity for comprehension. He linked the sublime to the presentation of the unpresentable, a theme also central to his work on postmodernism.

Selected Works

  • Phenomenology (1954)
  • Libidinal Economy (1974)
  • The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge (1979)
  • The Differend: Phrases in Dispute (1983)
  • Lessons on the Analytic of the Sublime (1991)

Lyotard's legacy remains significant in contemporary intellectual discourse. His ideas continue to provoke debate and inspire new interpretations, contributing to ongoing discussions about the nature of knowledge, power, and aesthetics in a rapidly changing world.

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