A short, oddly readable work in which Lyotard argues that the twentieth century has seen an upswing in cynicism that rejects societal ideologies or metanarratives. Postmodernism is a rejection of the notion of universal truths, as there is no "view from nowhere" and every speaker has a bias imprinted upon his or her speech and viewpoints. With this realization comes the breakdown of the "grand narrative" of Western thought.

Oddly, writing this in the 1970s, Lyotard champions the computer as an answer against the potential for nihilism that arises out of postmodernism. It allows for knowledge that is both accessible and decentralized, to allow for local dialogues and a broader range of ideas without imposing the same universal Truth upon discussions by affirming only a single, indisputable Knowledge. It's too bad he died in 1998, before the real Internet boom. Maybe he'd have recanted his position after witnessing the localized internet metanarratives like LOLcats and FML :-p ( )

An important work, and not a bad read either. ( )