What is Postmodernism according to Lyotard?

In “Answering the Question: What Is Postmodernism?” Jean-Francois Lyotard discusses the conceptualuality and reality of post modernity. At the apex of his essay, Lyotard states, “The postmodern would be that which, in the modern, puts forward the unpresentable in presentation itself…” (46). He theorizes postmodernism to be a part of the modern. Instead of thinking of postmodernism in the chorological time sense, Lyotard thinks under the condition of the “future past” or what “will have been done”.

His interpretation of post modernity relies entirely on the representation of how the unrepresentable lack the ability to be represented. Lyotard lists three examples of the unrepresentable. The first is that of the world (in its entirety), the second the simple, and the third the infinite. He discusses how we have the ability to conceptualize and image these concepts as possibilities, but lack the ability to physically prove and contrive a definite example. Because we cannot represent these concepts accurately, Lyotard describes the ability to display the concepts as definable yet indefinable, reality yet not, as Postmodernism.

As I read through his examples, I wallowed on the thought of simplicity. We use the term simple very often in normal discourse, but what do we mean by “simple”? Certainly, we do not use it as defined by Lyotard. Something can always be broken into smaller pieces. Even the atom, which is derived from the Latin term “atomus” meaning undivided, can be broken down into smaller parts. Even their smaller parts, the electron and the proton can be broken into smaller parts. Theoretically, those smaller parts have the possibility of being further divided. We can conceptualize this “simplicity” but not fully grasp it, for we cannot give a definite example.

I came away from the reading with the understanding that postmodernism is the grasping of the things we cannot find definite examples for. However, I am still in preponderance of what can non-ambiguously be considered Post-modernism by Lyotard’s definition.