Upcoming seminar in Lisbon, Portugal: “The Enlightenment versus Postmodernism”

On December 6, 2014, I’ll be giving a three-hour seminar for graduate students at the Catholic University of Portugal. My topic is “Two Narratives of Modernity: Enlightenment and Postmodern.” The seminar is hosted by the Institute for Political Studies and is part of its “Governance, Leadership and Democracy Studies” series.

Many thanks to Professor João Espada for the invitation. Thanks also to Ana Rita Rodrigues for her extremely efficient organization of the event.

Abstract:
In this three-hour seminar, we will contrast two narratives of modernity, the Enlightenment and the Postmodern. Has the modern world made great progress, as neo-Enlightenment thinkers claim, or has the modern world’s evolution been a story of decline or regression, as Postmodernists claim? In the first hour, we will attempt to define and compare the two narratives: What is the Enlightenment? What is Postmodernism? In the second hour, we will explore Postmodernism’s connection to the evolution of Left thought from classical Marxism to the Frankfurt School to the New Left. In the third hour, we will explore the contrasting neo-Enlightenment claims of progress.

Reading List:
1. Stephen R. C. Hicks, “What Postmodernism Is,” Chapter 1 of Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault (Scholargy, 2004), pp. 1-22. Online PDF. Portuguese version here.
2. S. Hicks, “The Crisis of Socialism,” Chapter 5 of Explaining Postmodernism, pp. 135-173. Online PDF. Portuguese version here.
3. Indur M. Goklany, “Introduction,” The Improving State of the World: Why We’re Living Longer, Healthier, More Comfortable Lives on a Cleaner Planet (Cato Institute, 2007), pp. 1-15. Online excerpt.

Related:
“Why did Portugal become a great exploring nation?” It will be a pleasure for me to visit again the place from which so many world-historical expeditions were launched.