About the Article
Published in:
Vol. 4, No. 1
Category:
Analyses
About the Author
Dónal P. O’Mathúna
Another Controversial Effort to Establish the Medical Efficacy of Intercessory Prayer
Living on Borrowed Authority: Postmodernism and Methods of Presentation
Postmodern Promotion of Alternative Medicine*
POSTMODERNISM IS BOTH A PHILOSOPHY AND A cultural movement. The philosophy is sometimes impenetrable, at other times incomprehensible, apparently deliberately so. One philosopher put it this way: “Postmodernism is long on attitude and short on argument . . . [and] remains conveniently ill-defined.”1 Regardless, many postmodern catch-phrases have caught on as popular sound-bites: “Create your own reality.” “Question authority.” “If it works for you, that’s all that matters.” “Find yourself within.” “There’s no right answer.” It doesn’t seem to matter what these slogans mean, or if they mean anything. Many in society have drifted into accepting postmodernism without ever hearing the term or knowing what it entails. The growing acceptance of alternative medicine within the healthcare system stands as a prime example of how a nebulous philosophy like postmodernism can have significant practical effects. It stands as testimony to the fact that beliefs have consequences, as the following true story demonstrates.
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