It was twenty years ago this summer that EP came out. Full title: Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault.
The book is an intellectual history of the roots of postmodernism. One-sentence thesis: The failure of epistemology made postmodernism possible; the failure of socialism made postmodernism necessary.
I’m pleased that the book has gone through 20-something printings, has been translated into multiple languages, and is available in e-book form and in (one, two) audio editions.
I know of nine professional reviews of the book by Ph.D. philosophers. Reviews by non-philosophers and non-professionals have been uneven—some strong and some weak. I respond to a representative pair (one good and one poor) here.
Here’s the free edition of the audiobook:
Related: I am also teaching a new, online course on Postmodern Philosophy for the Peterson Academy, which has some overlap with the philosophers discussed in Explaining Postmodernism but which is mostly new, related, and critical material. The trailer for the course is here.
Hello,
I’m Jan Beerlink from Germany.
Your book is in my opinion one of the most important books in the last 20 years.
I’ve read it, because Jordan Peterson has recommended it in one of his videos.
It would be very important, if there would be a german translation.
Because then german people could understand better, why the things progress in germany, like they did in the past hundred years.
Many of the philosophers, you’ve written about, come from Germany. So it would be an outstanding contribution to the actual debate, if there would be a german translation.
Sincerely Jan Beerlink
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Just ordered your book. I watched your Otteson interview. Thank you.
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Thanks, David. Hope you find it useful.
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