lyotard

lyotard

1. the basic philosophy of Lyotard

In The Postmodern Condition (1979), Lyotard proclaimed the "end of the big story.

Grand Narratives: values and historical views that have been held to have universal legitimacy, such as the Enlightenment and progressivism.

We believed that technological advances, including digital technology, would further deconstruct these narratives.

Liotard criticized the dominant nature of digital technology for the production and management of knowledge.

He points to the problem of knowledge being reduced to information and discarded based on management and efficiency.

2. "Resistance Activities" in Digital Technology

Rather than Lyotard specifically resisting digital technology, his philosophical argument is critical of the social impact of digital technology in the following ways.

(1) Commodification of knowledge

Digital technology turns knowledge into a commodity that is traded as mere data or information.

Liotard expressed concern about the situation where knowledge is governed according to the logic of the market.

Example: Algorithms in digital platforms govern which information is made visible.

(2) Collapse of metanarrative

Rather than maintaining a large, unified narrative, digitization creates a fragmented, diverse narrative.

While welcoming this diversity, Liotard suggested that it risks bringing about new forms of social control.

(3) Efficiency and legitimacy issues

Digital technology emphasizes efficiency, but Lyotard warned that this efficiency could undermine legitimacy and ethics.

Example: Diverse human values and cultural expressions are treated uniformly as data.

(4) Emphasis on heterogeneity as a form of resistance

Liotard emphasizes heterogeneity (differance) to the dominant technological framework.

We felt that in order to counter the standardization and control that digitalization creates, it was necessary to protect different values and perspectives.

3. modern application

Lyotard's philosophy is applicable to today's digital society.

(1) Criticism of platform society

The control of information through social media and search engines is a concrete example of the "knowledge management" that Liotard was concerned about.

(2) Resistance to artificial intelligence and algorithms

In this day and age when AI and algorithms play an important role in decision-making, the Lyotardian perspective interprets this as a potential threat to diversity and ethics.

(3) Art and heterogeneity

Digital art may serve as a means of expressing the "heterogeneity" that Lyotard emphasized.

A fragmented, non-standardized approach becomes resistance to standardized digital technology.

4. conclusion

Lyotard's philosophical work is expressed not as a direct resistance to digital technology per se, but as a critical reflection on the social and cultural consequences of it. In particular, themes such as the commodification of knowledge, the pursuit of efficiency, and the collapse of metanarratives provide an important perspective for understanding contemporary critiques of and resistance movements against digital technology.

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