What is a philosopher?

Ask Mr. Dooley.

A philosopher is a man "that is thryin' to make a livin' by thinkin' about things that no man can think about without th' top iv his head blowin' off" (quoted in Warren C. Young, A Christian Approach to Philosophy, 19).

The Caboose of Modernity

Next, we should reject postmodernism because it isn't really postmodern. Before awarding the grand prefix post to anything, we should ascertain that it actually is describing something in the rear view mirror. If we look at the foundation stones of modernism, we should quickly identify one of them as being the thought of Darwin — evolution. But why is it that none of these johnnies are saying that they are post-Darwinian? Evolution is a metanarrative, but the only incredulity I can find anywhere is in the discussions of tourists in the parking lot of the Creation Museum. The postmodernists pretend that they are blowing up the foundations when they are actually just painting the eaves a different color.

Excerpt above from recent musing on Postmodernism by Douglas Wilson. Three cheers for that first sentence: "Next, we should reject postmodernism because it isn't really postmodern." I took a degree in Philosophy at university and I remember when I reached the same conclusion during my studies and thought, "Wait, hold the phone. This Postmodern-thing is only the Caboose of a train called Modernity." Not really post-modern, indeed.  All things Pomo collapse under the weight of their own critiques. Postmodernism thinks it is Revolutionary, but all it is doing is "painting the eaves a different color," i.e., Pomo is the child begat by Modernity and now it spends its time, as all little children do, dressing up and playing make-believe. Postmodernism is like the Lutheran who ran away from Rome's idols but in the final analysis only exchanged ready-made idols for the organic idols of bad sacramental theology.

Modernity & Postmodernity: In the End, One in the Same

Somewhere during my undergraduate studies I read something Michael Glodo said about modernity and postmodernity: he observed that both modernity and postmodernity have the same point of origin -- they both begin with the autonomous man -- but (and this is an important qualifier) they each reach radically different conclusions. It is a good observation.

Modernity starts with the autonomous man and concludes with hubrisic optimism (e.g., "Progress! Future! Truth!"). Presumptive brag, that. However: Postmodernity, starts with the autonomous man and concludes with fainthearted nihilism (e.g., "Progress?! Future?! What is Truth?!").  Whinny ninny, that.

So, there is this tension between the former and the latter. There is the old guard (modernity) and the new guard (postmodernity), but really they are comrades of the same guard. Even though they don't like the fact that they are walking together, albeit to a syncopated rhythm, in the end they are one in the same -- an idolater vainly raging against God.