Truth Considered & Applied: Examining Postmodernism, History, and Christian Faith. By Stewart E. Kelly. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2011, 376 pp., $29.99 paper.
Stewart Kelly, professor of
philosophy at Minot State University (North Dakota), has written a helpful
treatise on historical knowledge and truth in a postmodern age. Kelly divides Truth Considered & Applied into three parts, corresponding to
three major questions. (1) What is
postmodernism? (2) Given postmodernism,
is genuine historical knowledge still possible?
(3) How should we think about truth?
In Part I, Kelly sets the
stage for postmodernism with a brief survey of modernist philosophy. He highlights the problematic Enlightenment
emphasis upon the reliability of human reason, with a concomitant rejection of
the noetic effects of sin. Postmodernism
rightly rejects modernist hubris, but is itself a mixed bag – there are many
beneficial elements along with areas of deep concern.
On the positive side,
postmodernism doubts the Enlightenment ideal of the omnicompetence of human
reason. Postmodernism emphasizes the
situatedness of the knower and the effect of worldview upon scientific and
historical knowledge. Finally, Kelly
praises postmodernism for recognizing that neither science nor historical
narratives are as objective as modernists claimed.
On the flip side,
postmodernists suggest that reality is socially constructed; Kelly notes that
they are rejecting the “givenness” of the external world. He also insists that the postmodern reaction
against modernist objectivity is exaggerated; a modest methodological
objectivity is possible in both history and epistemology. While Kelly praises postmodernists for
highlighting the oppressive nature of many historical metanarratives, he
insists that not all metanarratives are inherently oppressive; indeed, historic
Christianity offers a truly liberating metanarrative.
In Part II, Kelly defends
the traditional historiographical claim that “we have clearly justified
knowledge of some past events.” (158) After tracing the rise and fall of
objective historiography, Kelly builds a case for modest historical
realism. He insists that, contrary to
modernist ideals, objective history does not require detachment or
neutrality. Furthermore, he maintains a
subtle but crucial distinction between the social
construction of cultural ideals and beliefs and the objectively present objects that those ideals and beliefs are based
upon. Kelly utilizes the Holocaust as a
paradigmatic example, insisting that (1) it occurred, (2) we have justification
in saying that it is an objective historical fact, and (3) that
Holocaust-deniers are objectively wrong.
In Part III, Kelly defends
the correspondence theory of truth against alternative (largely postmodern)
theories of truth—coherence, pragmatic, and deflationary.
Kelly’s brief volume is
particularly valuable to those interested in historiography and
epistemology. Throughout Truth Considered & Applied, Kelly
avoids highlighting radical or extreme postmodernists, choosing instead to
focus on mainstream postmodernists who pose respectable and constructive
positions. Ultimately, postmodernism is
found lacking due to its rejection of objective historical knowledge, denial of
the correspondence theory of truth, and acceptance of a broad social
constructionism all point in the wrong direction. What is needed, Kelly argues, is a recovery of
modest historical realism and a chastened correspondence theory of truth. The postmodern world is crying out for a
truly universal metanarrative that does not oppress, but rather provides true
liberation for all—the Christian metanarrative.
