Modern Vs. Classical

Reading Habermas, I cannot help but start to look at post modernity as if it does not exist at all. Whether this is the correct or incorrect reading of his work, Modernity - An Incomplete Project, is not as relevant as the personal interpretation I am able to take away from his writing. Modernity is a time of explanation and clarification. It is a time where we continue to make progress and more or less, “revolt against the normalizing function of tradition” (100). What exactly is tradition? I feel as if Webster would come up with a definition along the lines of customs and beliefs that have crossed generations for quite some time, but are we not battling tradition today? Are people not trying to be unique and different whether for individual purposes or publicity stunts?

Sometimes I wonder if we even understand history and tradition in this day in age. Habermas writes, “the relation between ‘modern’ and ‘classical’ has definitely lost a fixed historical reference” (99). What exactly does he mean by this? I see the word classic and immediately jump to cars. I picture the classic car shows in my hometown and even some models they will bring in to compare to the “modern” models of today at the auto show in the city. These cars have managed to cross time and survive, but who exactly determines they are classic? It is elegant, yes, and has all the characteristics of that stereotypical image that comes to mind when we think of a classic car, but is not a classic car only about twenty to forty or so years old? In the scheme of things, that really is not that old or has that much tradition or history, but we still call it classic. To me, modern is something that corresponds to today, to this year, even to this decade. It is something that is relevant and calls for interpretation and new perspectives and an opportunity to escape the classical time frame. However, just as the new car model is modern to me to today, the classic car model was modern to someone thirty years ago. This is where I start I get a bit lost as time is a constant factor. I do not know if we are living in modernity, or post modernity, or perhaps a time after that, but if we are just now starting to label these changes in time, these avant gardes, what will people be saying of us in forty years. Will we still be modern or have fallen into the trap of everything before us, the trap of “classical.”

On my honor, I have not given nor received, not witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work.