The World-Systems Perspective
An alternative, incomplete in its formulation and implementation
In my commentary of September 5, 2023, I reviewed the traditional and modern paradigms that humanity has known. I maintained that they all shared the belief that truth and right could be ascertained, either through divine revelation, human reasoning based in empirical observation, or both. I also noted that postmodernism, which entered the U.S. academic world in the 1980s, has emerged to disseminate an epistemology claiming that truth is not revealed or discovered, but constructed on the basis of personal preferences or interests, creating a postmodern political praxis consisting of the manipulation of language in power maneuvers. This phenomenon is illustrated by transgender ideology as well as a new ideology of the black middle class. I also noted that a small number of sociologists, lacking in influence, had tried to create an alternative epistemology based in “personal authenticity” in the context of a commitment to seeking truth.
Today…