I. Standard of Truth
A. Premodern: Truth is discerned primarily through religious institutions and mythology under the guidance of religious leaders.
B. Modern: Truth is discerned primarily through rational and scientific investigation under the guidance of rationalistic philosophers and scientists.
C. Postmodern: Truth is discerned both through mythology and rational-scientific means.
II. Ultimate Reality
A. Premodern: Ultimate reality is spiritual and deeply influences events in the ephemeral physical world.
B. Modern: Ultimate reality is the physical world. If a spiritual world exists at all, it is ephemeral and uninvolved in the events of the physical would.
C. Postmodern: Ultimate reality is both physical and spiritual (personal and impersonal); these dimensions of reality interact in countless ways.
III. Seeker of Truth
A. Premodern: Individuality is discouraged and conformity to community traditions is highly prized.
B. Modern: Individuality of the independent objective scholar (transcendent subject) is prized over conformity to received traditions.
C. Postmodern: Individuality is disdained as self-deceptive, but individuals are encouraged to defy oppressive traditions.
IV. Modes of Communication
A. Premodern: Heavy reliance on oral, ritualized and iconographic communication due to widespread illiteracy and primitive publishing techniques.
B. Modern: Heavy reliance on written communication, especially paper, due to rising literacy and publishing technologies (printing press).
C. Postmodern: Written communication is lowered to the level of other formats, especially the iconographic, due to widespread electronic technologies.
V. Historical Progress
A. Premodern: Widespread mythic meta-narratives depict history in never-ending cycles.
B. Modern: Widespread rational and scientific meta-narrative depict history as progressing toward utopia.
C. Postmodern: Fragmented, heteromorphic multi-narratives depict history as cycles and counter-cycles of cacaphony and harmony.” [Meta-narratives suspected as attempts to oppress victim groups.]
