Stephen Scheidell

Dr. Benson
PHIL 280
Word count: 350
Lyotard !he Post"odern #ondition
$Pre%ace note: !he di%%iculty I had in understandin& this te't lies in that it at
sur%ace reads as t(o co")ined essays: one on the lin* o% episte"olo&y and po(er in
econo"ies o% data+ and another on narrati,e le&iti"i-ation o% science. !he %ollo(in& (ill
)e "y atte"pt to synchroni-e in "y "ind the relation o% the t(o..
!he %inal sections addressed this di%%iculty "ost e'plicitly+ )ut (hat "ani%estation
"i&ht such a society $as descri)ed in the essay/s closin& para&raph. ta*e0 What %uture
de,elop"ents "ust occur to secure that society0 While Lyotard "a*es a case %or an open
access to *no(led&e data on the &rounds o% a pro&ressin& dialo& utili-ed )y the state+
could not the po(ers that )e "a*e an e1ually co"pellin& re2oinder0 Perhaps+ they "i&ht
ar&ue that a social syste" o% data access too open could lead to a su)tle anarchy. Persons
uneducated enou&h to ade1uately appropriate and utili-e the data could "isconstrue the
data+ ideas+ and ar&u"ents %or destructi,e or anti3social ends. 4 loo* into history )oo*s
"a*es this $theoretical. re2oinder rather co"pellin&+ or at least (orth serious
consideration.
5ne "i&ht see+ %ollo(in& this+ a second di%%iculty (ith the raisin& o% the 1uestion:
What )ar&ainin& po(er (ould the "asses ha,e in "aintainin& open access to data0 I%
data %irst allocates itsel% to an educated aristocracy+ as it presently see"s to+ then open
access co"es at the (hi" and &race o% this aristocracy. What occurs (hen or i%+ %or
(hate,er reason+ they cut o%% open a,aila)ility in %a,or o% stron&er control o,er the data0
5ne "i&ht respond in 6ar'ist %ashion that e,en an inter,al o% open utili-ation o%
*no(led&e (ould close the disparity )et(een educated aristocracy and uneducated
"asses. Historically+ this response see"s i"plausi)le. Since not all ha,e the capacity o%
properly "a*in& use o% data+ there %ore,er re"ains an uneducated class cut o%% %ro"
*no(led&e %or lac* o% either a)ility or access.
Lyotard/s ,ision o% this society co"es as hi&hly (elco"ed in the "ind+ )ut see"s
to "e li*ely to )e unsta)le and pro)le"atic. 4 solution+ ho(e,er+ lies )eyond the scope o%
this essay and )eyond "y current reach.