--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And today more than ever, knowing about…" description: "\"And today more than ever, knowing about that society involves first of all choosing what approach the inquiry will take, and that necessarily means cho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72a/jean-francois-lyotard-24555_about_and-today-more-than-ever-knowing-about-t_286741.jpg" --- # And today more than ever, knowing about that society… ![“And today more than ever, knowing about that society involves first of all choosing what approach the inquiry will take, and that necessarily means choosing how society can answer.” quote by Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72a/jean-francois-lyotard-24555_about_and-today-more-than-ever-knowing-about-t_286741.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72a/jean-francois-lyotard-24555_about_and-today-more-than-ever-knowing-about-t_286741.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72a/jean-francois-lyotard-24555_about_and-today-more-than-ever-knowing-about-t_286741.jpg) > “And today more than ever, knowing about that society involves first of all choosing what approach the inquiry will take, and that necessarily means choosing how society can answer.” [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding society requires choosing a methodological stance, which determines how questions are framed and how answers are constructed. **In simple terms:** Choosing an approach shapes how we understand society. Key Takeaway Define your inquiry lens early. Themes knowledge methodology inquiry society Mood analytical inquisitive Type theoretical practical When to use this quote - academic research - policy analysis - community organizing Key Concepts postmodernism epistemology social theory Questions to Reflect On - What lens best suits your current problem? - How do you reconcile multiple perspectives? A Different Perspective Different approaches can conflict, limiting consensus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Inquiry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inquiry/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [“When society involves the anarch in a conflict which in which he does not participate inwardly, it challenges him to launch an opposition. 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Sometimes it's good, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefano-gabbana/our-fashion-for-us-it-s-an-expression-first-of-all-of-life-i-put-all/) [Stefano Gabbana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefano-gabbana/) ## More by Jean-Francois Lyotard > [Our working hypothesis is that the status of knowledge is altered as societies enter what is known as the postindustrial age and cultures enter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/our-working-hypothesis-is-that-the-status-of-knowledge-is-altered-as/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [“Saddam Hussein is a product of Western departments of state and big companies, just as Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco were born of the 'peace'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/saddam-hussein-is-a-product-of-western-departments-of-state-and-big/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [What guides Marxism, then, is a different model of society, and a different conception of the function of the knowledge that can be produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/what-guides-marxism-then-is-a-different-model-of-society-and-a/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [One knows that frontal and/or profile photography is torn to pieces... Inversely, what remains of the photograph must be seen as a fragment coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/one-knows-that-frontal-and-or-profile-photography-is-torn-to-pieces/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [A self does not amount to much, but no self is an island; each exists in a fabric of relations that is now more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/a-self-does-not-amount-to-much-but-no-self-is-an-island-each-exists/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [One can decide that the principal role of knowledge is as an indispensable element in the functioning of society, and act in accordance with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/one-can-decide-that-the-principal-role-of-knowledge-is-as-an/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [If we wish to discuss knowledge in the most highly developed contemporary society, we must answer the preliminary question of what methodological representation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/if-we-wish-to-discuss-knowledge-in-the-most-highly-developed/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [Scientific knowledge is a kind of discourse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/scientific-knowledge-is-a-kind-of-discourse/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [Simplifying to the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/simplifying-to-the-extreme-i-define-postmodern-as-incredulity-toward/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [He was too tough to experience disappointments and resentments - negative affections. 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As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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