ABSTRACT
As humanity becomes increasingly interconnected through globalization, the question of whether community is possible within culturally diverse societies has returned as a principal concern for contemporary thought. Lorenzo Simpson charges that the current discussion is stuck at an impasse-between postmodernism's fragmented notions of cultural difference and humanism's homogeneous versions of community. Simpson proposes an alternative-one that bridges cultural differences without erasing them. He argues that we must establish common aesthetic and ethical standards incorporating sensitivity to difference if we are to achieve cross-cultural understanding.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |16 pages
Introduction Humanism, Postmodernism, and Irony
part I|44 pages
Historical Considerations
chapter 1|23 pages
On Arnold and Herder: The Idea of Culture and the Idea of Difference
chapter |19 pages
Musical Interlude: Adorno on Jazz, or How Not to Fuse Horizons
part II|66 pages
The Unfinished Project