Cornel Ronald West is a philosopher, author and social activist. In 1980 he was the first African American to graduate from Princeton with a Ph.D. in philosophy. He focuses on race, class and gender issues.
“You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people if you don't serve the people.”
He wrote a book called, Prophetic Thought in Postmodern Times.
In it he writes, "I remain suspicious of the term poster modernism for two basic reasons. First, because the precursors term modern itself has not simply been used to devalue the cultures of oppressed and exploited peoples, but also has failed to deeply illumine the internal complexities....Second, the sheer facticity of black people in the United States historically embodies and enacts the postmodern themes of degraded otherness and subaltern marginality."
He wrote a book called, Prophetic Thought in Postmodern Times.
In it he writes, "I remain suspicious of the term poster modernism for two basic reasons. First, because the precursors term modern itself has not simply been used to devalue the cultures of oppressed and exploited peoples, but also has failed to deeply illumine the internal complexities....Second, the sheer facticity of black people in the United States historically embodies and enacts the postmodern themes of degraded otherness and subaltern marginality."
Michel Foucault was a French philosopher, postmodernist and historian. He also worked as a social theorist and literary critic. He studied how power and knowledge interact and are used in social institutions. He was a bit of a pessimist and his work was sometimes described as dark. He wrote a lot about the individual understanding how they are being manipulated and dominated by society. He believed that people should all strive to build social communities that do not hinder or dominate others.
"What strikes me is the fact that in our society, art has become something which is only related to objects, and not to individuals, or to life."
Bell Hooks
Gloria Jean Watkins. Watkins is an author,feminist and social activist. Her work explores the complexities of race and gender. She describes an interesting trait in societies that is to produce systems of oppression.
"I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else's whim or to someone else's ignorance."
"When we drop fear, we can draw nearer to people, we can draw nearer to the earth, we can draw nearer to all the heavenly creatures that surround us."
This quote, to me, is reminiscent of the theory of 'oneness'. If we strive to rid ourselves of all fear and self doubt, we can reach a higher level of life. We can connect more deeply with fellow individuals and with the earth around us.
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