--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we wish to discuss knowledge in the…" description: "\"If we wish to discuss knowledge in the most highly developed contemporary society, we must answer the preliminary question of what methodological repre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/jean-francois-lyotard-24555_answers_if-we-wish-to-discuss-knowledge-in-the-m_826673.jpg" --- # If we wish to discuss knowledge in the most highly… ![“If we wish to discuss knowledge in the most highly developed contemporary society, we must answer the preliminary question of what methodological representation to apply to that society” quote by Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/jean-francois-lyotard-24555_answers_if-we-wish-to-discuss-knowledge-in-the-m_826673.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/jean-francois-lyotard-24555_answers_if-we-wish-to-discuss-knowledge-in-the-m_826673.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/jean-francois-lyotard-24555_answers_if-we-wish-to-discuss-knowledge-in-the-m_826673.jpg) > “If we wish to discuss knowledge in the most highly developed contemporary society, we must answer the preliminary question of what methodological representation to apply to that society” [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. To study modern knowledge we must first decide which methodological framework best captures society’s complexity. **In simple terms:** Choose a method to study knowledge. Key Takeaway Select appropriate analytical tools. Themes philosophy epistemology modernity methodology society Mood critical analytical Type philosophical theoretical When to use this quote - academic research - policy analysis - educational design - media studies Key Concepts postmodern theory social theory Questions to Reflect On - What framework reveals hidden biases? - How does method shape conclusions? A Different Perspective Choosing a framework can limit perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contemporary society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-society/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Representation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representation/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [Methodological individualism is the doctrine that psychological states are individuated with respect to their causal powers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-fodor/methodological-individualism-is-the-doctrine-that-psychological/) [Jerry Fodor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-fodor/) > [“As indicated by our example, methodological nominalism is nowadays fairly generally accepted in the natural sciences. The problems of the social sciences, on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/as-indicated-by-our-example-methodological-nominalism-is-nowadays/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [All research in the cultural sciences in an age of specialization, once it is oriented towards a given subject matter through particular settings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/all-research-in-the-cultural-sciences-in-an-age-of-specialization/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [Good psychology should include all the methodological techniques, without having loyalty to one method, one idea, or one person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-maslow/good-psychology-should-include-all-the-methodological-techniques/) [Abraham Maslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-maslow/) > [“Methodological naturalism is a “ground rule” of science today which requires scientists to seek explanations in the world around us based upon what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-t-pennock/methodological-naturalism-is-a-ground-rule-of-science-today-which/) Robert T. Pennock > [All science is methodolgy with regard to the Absolute. Therefore, there need be no fear of the unequivocally methodological. It is a husk, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/all-science-is-methodolgy-with-regard-to-the-absolute-therefore-there/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [So my methodological approach is to draw on many different features in highlighting different facets of the novella (and the opera and the film).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/so-my-methodological-approach-is-to-draw-on-many-different-features/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [It's really important that we not replicate what came before us, but we do something of our own, that's reflective of our own time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-clewes/it-s-really-important-that-we-not-replicate-what-came-before-us-but/) [Peter Clewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-clewes/) > [I think a lot of the people who feel out of step with contemporary society or feel that they've been left back economically or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/i-think-a-lot-of-the-people-who-feel-out-of-step-with-contemporary/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [The engine of ancient society was religion but the engine of contemporary society, as I see it, is advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-williams/the-engine-of-ancient-society-was-religion-but-the-engine-of/) [Kit Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-williams/) > [Our contemporary society is experimenting with the diminishment of caregivers for children. Some children are raised through crucial stages of life by only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gurian/our-contemporary-society-is-experimenting-with-the-diminishment-of/) [Michael Gurian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gurian/) > [In our contemporary society, one so over-inundated with imagery, it is easy to overlook the power of a single frame to change the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mccurry/in-our-contemporary-society-one-so-over-inundated-with-imagery-it-is/) [Steve McCurry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mccurry/) > [“We in the West are accustomed to thinking that humans are all basically the same underneath our different cultural clothing, that the concerns the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-cushman/we-in-the-west-are-accustomed-to-thinking-that-humans-are-all/) [Philip Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-cushman/) > [When we observe contemporary society one thing strikes us. We debate but make no progress. Why? Because as peoples we do not yet trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/when-we-observe-contemporary-society-one-thing-strikes-us-we-debate/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/) [Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/) ## 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/) > [And today more than ever, knowing about that society involves first of all choosing what approach the inquiry will take, and that necessarily means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/and-today-more-than-ever-knowing-about-that-society-involves-first-of/) [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/) > [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. In this nihilist fin de siècle, he was affirmation. Right through to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/he-was-too-tough-to-experience-disappointments-and-resentments/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [Eclecticism is the degree zero of contemporary general culture: one listens to reggae, watches a western, eats McDonald's food for lunch and local cuisine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/eclecticism-is-the-degree-zero-of-contemporary-general-culture-one/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [Even now it is no longer composed of the traditional political class, but of a composite layer of corporate leaders, high-level administrators, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/even-now-it-is-no-longer-composed-of-the-traditional-political-class/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [Knowledge is and will be produced in order to be sold, it is and will be consumed in order to be valorised in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/knowledge-is-and-will-be-produced-in-order-to-be-sold-it-is-and-will/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [It is our business not to supply reality but to invent allusions to the conceivable which cannot be presented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/it-is-our-business-not-to-supply-reality-but-to-invent-allusions-to/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [On the other hand, in a society whose communication component is becoming more prominent day by day, both as a reality and as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/on-the-other-hand-in-a-society-whose-communication-component-is/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) [Explore all 24 Jean-Francois Lyotard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If we wish to discuss knowledge in the most highly developed contemporary society, we must answer the preliminary question of what methodological representation to apply to that society", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Francois Lyotard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/if-we-wish-to-discuss-knowledge-in-the-most-highly-developed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/if-we-wish-to-discuss-knowledge-in-the-most-highly-developed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/jean-francois-lyotard-24555_answers_if-we-wish-to-discuss-knowledge-in-the-m_826673.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/jean-francois-lyotard-24555_answers_if-we-wish-to-discuss-knowledge-in-the-m_826673.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/jean-francois-lyotard-24555_answers_if-we-wish-to-discuss-knowledge-in-the-m_826673.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If we wish to discuss knowledge in the most highly developed contemporary society, we must answer the…” — Jean-Francois Lyotard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jean-Francois Lyotard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If we wish to discuss knowledge...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/if-we-wish-to-discuss-knowledge-in-the-most-highly-developed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/if-we-wish-to-discuss-knowledge-in-the-most-highly-developed/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```