Why Post-Modern/Post-
Positive world is getting
dumber?
By Waris Mukhtar Ogahi
Outline
1. How did we get here: Auguste Comte’s Law of Three Stages
2. The Fourth Stage: Post-Positivism and/or Post-Modernism
3. Impacts of Post-Modernism on human beings:
a. The Generational Attitude
b. Social Institution: Family, Religion, Education
c. Weakening Social Values and Norms
d. Emile Durkheim’s Anomie
e. Political Populism
f. Scientific Backwardness
g. Deteriorating Art and Music
4. Fixing this conundrum: Living according to nature
5. Analysis of past papers’ questions
6. Conclusion
How did we get here: Auguste Comte’s Law
of Three Stages
• French Sociologist who lived from 1798 AD till 1857 AD
• First: Theological Stage
Supernatural explanation for everything.
• Second: Metaphysical Stage
Philosophical questioning: A transitionary phase.
• Third: Positive Stage
Scientific Explanations of different phenomenons.
The Fourth Stage: Post-Modernism and/or
Post-Positivism
• Postmodernism is a late 20th-century movement characterized by
broad scepticism, subjectivism, a general suspicion of reason, and an
acute sensitivity to the role of ideology in asserting and maintaining
political and economic power.
• Basically, Postmodernists are of the view that everything is right if a
person thinks of it to be right.
• Closely intertwined with Max Weber’s Symbolic Interactionism.
• Examples: Fluid genders and sexuality, opinions based world.
Impacts on Human Beings
The Generational Attitude
Generation Y/
Baby Boomers Generation X
Millennials
(1946-1964) (1965-1980)
(1981-1996)
Generation
Generation Z
Alpha
(1997-2009)
(2010 onwards)
Gen Z: A reflection of Post Modernism
• Will form 27% of the workforce globally by 2025 (Mickinsey and Co)
• More than 54% of Gen Z spend more than 4 hours on their
smartphones daily.
• 88% use Youtube, 76% use Instagram, 68% use Tiktok. (Morning
Consult: Business Intelligence Company)
• Only 41% of Gen Zers expect to own a home one day (McKinsey)
(Baby Boomers: 77%, Gen X: 69%)
• Not serious about building a stable career or raising a family
Impacts on Human Beings
Deterioration of Family Institution
• Questioning of medical sciences and natural laws
• Resulted in the absurdities such as Post-Modern Feminism in 3rd wave of
Feminism
• This in turn resulted in the rise of Queer Theory and LGBT movements
• In 1979, 75% adults of USA were married, whereas now, the percentage
is only 38% (Brookings Institution)
• 63% of women in USA do not want to have kids or a regular family (WEF)
• Divorce rates have significantly improved in Pakistan ( Gallup and Gillani
Survey)
• 35 countries in the world allow same sex marriages
• Children have no morals or principles
Impacts on Human Beings
Demise of Religion
“When a person ceases to believe in God, The danger is not that he will
believe in nothing; but that, he might believe in anything”- G.K.
Chesterton
• Religion plays an important role in social stability
• Questioning of religion at every level in present era
• Around 10% of world population is atheist
• Hedonistic and immoral lifestyle resulting in various evils
Impacts on Human Beings
Deteriorating Education
• Family and religion are important sources of socialisation, from where
a person gets basic education: they both have deteriorated.
• People are questioning formal education e.g Apple and Tesla do not
require a degree to hire people. (Dawn)
• The quality of literature and books has retrogressed significantly with
promotion of 3rd grade self help books e.g “A subtle art of not giving a
F___”
• In past, people had written masterpieces such as Greek Philosophy
books, Western Philosophy books of literary masterpieces such as
Shakespearean plays etc.
Impacts on Human Beings
W eak en in g S o cialV alu esan d N o rm s
• Generational wisdom guides us in various spheres of life e.g how to
act in difficult situations, how to handle stress etc
• Generational wisdom, as well as values and norms have fallen prey to
subjectivism and criticism in Postmodern world
• Resultantly, as it is ostensible in Pakistan, social norms such as
respecting elders, chivalry etc have significantly weakened
• This manifests a sorry state of affairs when it comes to social aspect of
human life.
Impacts on Human Beings
Emile Durkheim’s Anomie
• In sociology, anomie is a social condition defined by an uprooting or
breakdown of any moral values, standards or guidance for individuals
to follow.
• Anomie is believed to possibly evolve from conflict of belief systems
and causes breakdown of social bonds between an individual and the
community.
• It is basically the presence of contradictory sets of values in a society
• Detriments: Anomic Suicide, confusion, anxiety, depression etc.
Impacts on Human Beings
Political Populism
• A political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel
that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.
• Even in a democracy, there has to be a weighted voting system, so
that intellectuals and wise people should have more say in politics
• There is a reason why archaic Greeks e.g Plato were against pure
democracy
• Rise of Donald Trump, Narendra Modi, Jair Bolsonaro, etc.
Impacts on Human Beings
Scientific Backwardness
• No history-changing invention by Gen Z despite them reaching 27
years of age.
• People of postmodern era lack focus as their minds are plagued by
unhealthy scrolling habits and short attention span reels, video apps.
• According to Gallup and Gillani survey, 75% of Pakistanis have never
read a book in their entire lives.
• The condition in whole world is not very different.
• Example of Covid Vaccine.
Plagiarism map
Impacts on Human Beings
Art and Music
• Art and Music represent the intellectual richness of a society
• A big example is that of architecture of an era or society
• In the post modern era, the art and music have plummeted to new
lows, as they have become merely acts rather than things done out of
passion
• In earlier times, art and music used to be conduits of intellect, now
they are merely money making tools
Old v. New Art
Van Gogh’s Starry nights 1889 Banana Art 2019 (Sold for 120k dollars)
Old v. New architecture
Chataeu de Chambord (Completed
Modern French House 1547)
Old v. New Music
Fixing this conundrum
• Living according to nature: Stoicism
• Believing in generational wisdom
• Learning from mistakes
• Observing chaos in the society
• Regaining lost focus
• Developing healthy habits: Reading, staying away from social media,
etc
Past Paper Questions’ analysis
The Postivist and Post-Positivist debate offers a striking contrast in terms
of approach and methodology to the study of IR. Describe, compare and
critically evaluate the divergence between the two debates. Are there
any points of convergence? (CSS IR-1, 2017)
Comparatively discuss the modernist IR theories (Realism and
Liberalism) with post-modernist IR theories (Feminism and
Constructivism). (CSS IR-1, 2021)
Write short notes: 1. Postmodern Feminism 2. Structural Functionalism
(CSS Gender Studies, 2019)
Describe any teo Western Schools of thought about Feminism in detail
(CSS Gender Studies, 2019)
Auguste Comte gives three evolutionary dimensions of society:
Theologian, Metaphysics and Positivistic. Explain each step with
cogent examples. (CSS Sociology 2019)
Do you think families have undetgone a transition in contemporary
societies? Discuss how the society has been affectedwith this glabal
change?What is the future of family institution in Pakistan? (PMS
Sociology)
Essay Topics
• Beware the barrenness of a busy life (CSS 2018)
• I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death
your right to say it. (CSS 2020)
• Human inventions move the societies backward. (CSS 2021)
Conclusion
