Humanist approach to post-modernism

To the Editors:

I write with the hope that some of my observations and feelings about the philosophy termed "postmodernism" will be taken into account by some of the people that identify it and dissuade those that might find it tempting (and not just the people with funny pants and weird glasses). I speak from the position of a humanist liberal, a person who still believes that the Enlightenment project has some merit. By that I mean that I believe in certain universal practical truths that apply to each human being, that I see humanity as a unified race with interrelated values and interests, and that I find liberty tempered with democracy as well as social and environmental responsibility to be principles that enhance the dignity of every person. I will concern myself with postmodernists' claims regarding moral knowledge, and will be, for lack of space, generalizing greatly. I draw from two texts for this essay, Jean-FranVois Lyotard's "The Postmodern Condition" and John Dewey's "Democracy and Education," and will give a brief summary of my understandings of the authors positions.

Lyotard, "simplifying in the extreme," defines postmodernism as "incredulity towards metanarratives," or a disbelief in truths that transcend any individual's particular experience or claim to encompass all of humanity. The development of truth is a matter of authority; those that possess it in some sense create fact. Usually the proverbial white, capitalist, Christian masculinist is that person in authority (e.g. in government, culture, business, science communities), very often to the exclusion of members from other racial, ethnic, religious and sexual groups. The postmodern condition is the result of multiple happenings, including the inability of those that claim absolute moral truth to prove it scientifically, the gross inhumanity of events like the Nazi Holocaust, and the advancement of modern capitalism. So instead, the postmodernist suggests that particularist narratives, ones that represent truth on a very localized and specific basis. Truth ought to be created at the level of the individual or small group.

Though the phenomena in name did not exist at the time, John Dewey's criticisms of postmodernism are nonetheless valid. He refers to something called "subjectivist egoism," which I interpret as being, in practice,nearly identical to postmodernism. Dewey denied that the discovery of truth was a purely individual task, arguing that "as a matter of fact every individual has grown up, and always must grow up, in a social medium;" nearly all narratives are "meta," in that they involve all people. Dewey then succinctly states the moral implications of postmodernism: "When the social quality of individualized mental operations is denied, it becomes a problem to find connections which will unite an individual with his fellows." And this is the problem that Dewey and I have, as humanists, with this postmodern isolationism: "Given an egoistic consciousness, how can action which has regard for others take place?" The problem with emphasizing a postmodern particularist narrative is that doing so often separates people from one another, allowing them to neglect the suffering or ignore the brilliance of other human beings.

One might perceive my preceding objections as simply theoretical, with no bearing on the people of Oberlin College. But in the past year I have witnessed the results of postmodernism in practice: perceiving members not in their group as unable to comprehend their suffering or their experience at all, perceiving their group's members as distinct and perhaps superior to others', and working for or positively regarding only their own cause and ignoring or severely minimizing the causes of other groups and the human race as a whole.

Do not embrace the postmodern philosophy as a moral one, for it can

destroy community, fragment humanity, and impede the realization of our common goals of human dignity, responsible autonomy, and collective moral expansion.

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Jason Clark, College sophomore

Welcome back from Student Health Services

Welcome back to another big year at Oberlin College. Whether you are a new student or a returning veteran, Student Health Services is glad to see you back. This essay will present a brief overview of health services at Oberlin College and will hopefully answer questions about our service. First of all I would like to address some of the common questions concerning student health services.

Do I need to have student health insurance to utilize the Student Health Clinic? NO - this service is covered by your tuition payment and is available to all currently enrolled full time Oberlin College students. Our usual operating hours are Monday; Tuesday, and Wednesday from 8:30- 4 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 10 - 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10-1 p.m.

What are the qualifications of your staff? All of our providers are carefully screened for qualifications and expertise. I (Laura Hieronymus) am a certified Adult Nurse Practitioner with 20 years in health care. Dr. John Jonesco and Dr. Harold Slocum are certified in family practice medicine and have been practicing in Oberlin for many years. Finally, Pat Serio, our certified nurse midwife has 20 years of experience in providing family planning services and health advice to women. Both of our staff nurses (Cherryl Johnson, LPN and Sharon Land, RN) come with years of experience and a love of working with students. We have also developed an extensive specialist referral list, which we have screened to insure quality care. We also offer full lab services, X-rays, on site pharmacy and lots of other services.

Do I have to pay when I go to student health services? Occasionally you will be charged for supplies, immunizations and other services that we provide. If labs or outside referrals are needed we will help you with insurance and will do everything that we can to keep your cost low.

Are your services confidential?

ABSOLUTELY - you are 18 years of age or older, it is against the law for us to share medical information about you with anyone other than appropriate medical professionals. The only exceptions are if your medical condition is life threatening or if you are at risk of harming yourself or others. We will NOT share information about your medical condition with your parents, other departments, the registrar, or dean's office without a signed consent from you.

Do you offer any complementary care services? We often times will recommend alternative remedies such as herbs, yoga, and massage therapy. We also keep an updated list of alternative providers located in the general vicinity. We have a number of resources available to help you in making well informed decisions regarding alternative care such as The PDR for Herbal Remedies, The Honest Herbal, etc, etc, etc.

What other services are offered out of Student Health? Lori Morgan -Flood, our health education and wellness coordinator, is very actively involved in providing heath and wellness activities on campus. She works with students on issues such as stress management, relaxation techniques, smoking cessation, nutrition advice etc. She also offers workshops on wellness related topics. She manages the Wellness Center in Wilder 314, which houses a full range of books on health related issues. Something new at Oberlin College, this fall, she will be training students to be peer health educators. Watch for Lori and the Student Educators at her Wellness To Go table at various times during the school year. She will be happy to help you with your health related concerns.

Feel free to contact us by e-mail at lhieronymus@collegiate.com for any health related questions or concerns or, Lori at lflood@collegiate.com.

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Laura Hieronymus, Adult Nurse Practioner