--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The question of the relation between…" description: "\"“The question of the relation between modernity and postmodernity revolves around the issue of 'legitimation.' Modernity, then, appeals to science to l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/james-k-a-smith-11405_modernism_the-question-of-the-relation-between-mod_2834139.png" --- # The question of the relation between modernity and… ![“The question of the relation between modernity and postmodernity revolves around the issue of 'legitimation.' Modernity, then, appeals to science to legitimate its claim - and by 'science' we simply mean the notion of a universal, autonomous reason. Science, then, is opposed to narrative, which…” quote by James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/james-k-a-smith-11405_modernism_the-question-of-the-relation-between-mod_2834139.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/james-k-a-smith-11405_modernism_the-question-of-the-relation-between-mod_2834139.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/james-k-a-smith-11405_modernism_the-question-of-the-relation-between-mod_2834139.png) > ““The question of the relation between modernity and postmodernity revolves around the issue of 'legitimation.' Modernity, then, appeals to science to legitimate its claim - and by 'science' we simply mean the notion of a universal, autonomous reason. Science, then, is opposed to narrative, which attempts not to prove its claims but rather to proclaim them within a story.”” [James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Analyzes modernity’s reliance on science for legitimacy versus postmodern narrative’s storytelling claim. **In simple terms:** Science legitimizes modernity; narratives shape postmodernity. Key Takeaway Recognize both rational and narrative truths. Themes philosophy modernity postmodernity Mood analytical critical Type theoretical academic When to use this quote - academic discourse - public policy - media analysis - education Key Concepts science narrative legitimacy Questions to Reflect On - How can science and narrative coexist? - What narratives challenge scientific authority? A Different Perspective Risk of polarizing truth claims. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Legitimation Modernity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legitimation-modernity-3679202/) [Modernism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernism/) [Modernity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernity/) [Modernity Postmodernity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernity-postmodernity-3679201/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Postmodernism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/postmodernism/) [Postmodernity Revolves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/postmodernity-revolves-3679203/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Relation Modernity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relation-modernity-3679200/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [Altermodern is an in-progress redefinition of modernity in the era of globalisation, stressing the experience of wandering in time, space and mediums. 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Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/) > [“Your deepest desire,” he observes, “is the one manifested by your daily life and habits.”6 This is because our action—our doing—bubbles up from our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/your-deepest-desire-he-observes-is-the-one-manifested-by-your-daily/) [James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/) > [“Foucault. The seemingly disturbing, even Nietzschean claim that “power is knowledge” should push us to realize what MTV learned long ago: (a) the cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/foucault-the-seemingly-disturbing-even-nietzschean-claim-that-power/) [James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/) > [“The doubter’s doubt is faith; his temptation is belief, and it is a temptation that has not been entirely quelled, even in a secular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/the-doubter-s-doubt-is-faith-his-temptation-is-belief-and-it-is-a/) [James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/) > [“Worship works from the top down, you might say. In worship we don’t just come to show God our devotion and give him our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/worship-works-from-the-top-down-you-might-say-in-worship-we-don-t/) [James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/) > [“While formally or structurally speaking, there are mechanisms of discipline operative in both the convent and the prison, in both the factory and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/while-formally-or-structurally-speaking-there-are-mechanisms-of/) [James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/) > [“Antoine de Saint-Exupéry captures this well: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-captures-this-well-if-you-want-to-build-a/) [James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/) > [“Because of this Christian materialism, a catholic postmodernism (or postmodern catholicity) affirms sacramentality on two levels. On the one hand, it affirms a general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/because-of-this-christian-materialism-a-catholic-postmodernism-or/) [James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/) [Explore all 60 James K.A. Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/) ## More Modernism quotes > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. 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This is what was so bad about Modernism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/the-notion-that-you-could-discard-the-old-world-and-now-make-a-new/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) [Browse all 350 Modernism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The question of the relation between modernity and postmodernity revolves around the issue of 'legitimation.' Modernity, then, appeals to science to legitimate its claim - and by 'science' we simply mean the notion of a universal, autonomous reason. Science, then, is opposed to narrative, which attempts not to prove its claims but rather to proclaim them within a story.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James K.A. 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