Jean-Francois Lyotard Quotes
Jean-Francois Lyotard was a 20th-century French philosopher, sociologist, and literary theorist, one of the leading figures of post-structuralism and a central exponent of postmodernism in philosophy. His 1979 work The Postmodern Condition, originally a report on the state of knowledge in advanced industrial societies, defined the postmodern as incredulity toward grand narratives and shaped subsequent discussion of postmodernism in philosophy, literature, and the social sciences. The quotes below are attributed to Jean-Francois Lyotard, organized by topic.
Jean-Francois Lyotard on Knowledge
-
Attributed to Jean-Francois Lyotard:
“I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives.”
-
Attributed to Jean-Francois Lyotard:
“Knowledge is and will be produced in order to be sold.”
Jean-Francois Lyotard on Life
-
Attributed to Jean-Francois Lyotard:
“A self does not amount to much, but no self is an island.”
Jean-Francois Lyotard on Time
-
Attributed to Jean-Francois Lyotard:
“What does happen, when nothing happens to us?”
Jean-Francois Lyotard on Truth
-
Attributed to Jean-Francois Lyotard:
“Let us wage a war on totality; let us be witnesses to the unpresentable.”
-
Attributed to Jean-Francois Lyotard:
“There is no language in general.”