System Failure (?)

TY - JOUR

T1 - System Failure (?)

AU - Woodward, Ashley

N1 - ©Author(s), 2025.

PY - 2025/10/16

Y1 - 2025/10/16

N2 - This paper takes a retrospective look at Lyotard’s analysis of “the postmodern condition,” a century after his birth, and nearly a half-century since his highly influential book. Lyotard’s pessimistic view was that after the end of metanarratives, there is now no alternative to the liberal democratic capitalist “System,” which is governed by a technological-economic principle of “performativity.” Considering Lyotard’s thesis in the light of his own methodology of “signs of history,” I argue that it is no longer possible to hold this view. A number of key historical events point to massive fault-lines that have appeared in this System. Nevertheless, much of what Lyotard wrote in The Postmodern Condition about the growing influence of technology on social and political life has only been confirmed. The hypothesis this paper proposes is that the signs of system failure might at least open paths of resistance to technological hegemony.

AB - This paper takes a retrospective look at Lyotard’s analysis of “the postmodern condition,” a century after his birth, and nearly a half-century since his highly influential book. Lyotard’s pessimistic view was that after the end of metanarratives, there is now no alternative to the liberal democratic capitalist “System,” which is governed by a technological-economic principle of “performativity.” Considering Lyotard’s thesis in the light of his own methodology of “signs of history,” I argue that it is no longer possible to hold this view. A number of key historical events point to massive fault-lines that have appeared in this System. Nevertheless, much of what Lyotard wrote in The Postmodern Condition about the growing influence of technology on social and political life has only been confirmed. The hypothesis this paper proposes is that the signs of system failure might at least open paths of resistance to technological hegemony.

KW - Jean-François Lyotard

KW - postmodern

KW - political philosophy

KW - philosophy of technology

KW - art and technology

UR - https://technophany.philosophyandtechnology.network/article/view/19590

U2 - 10.54195/technophany.19590

DO - 10.54195/technophany.19590

M3 - Article

SN - 2773-0875

VL - 4

SP - 1

EP - 19

JO - Technophany: A Journal for Philosophy and Technology

JF - Technophany: A Journal for Philosophy and Technology

IS - 2

ER -