Compare the work of Lyotard and Max Weber around Lyotard’s term of performativity.
What will be an ideal response?
Lyotard contends that with the advent of computer-based information technology knowledge can no longer be legitimized by metanarratives held unquestionably true and valid. Instead, knowledge is legitimized by its ability to enhance the performance and efficiency of rationalized social institutions. The rational functionality of contemporary societies—what Lyotard refers to as “performativity”—is now of central concern because the legitimacy of social order is based on its organization through rational means. Consistent with Weber’s metaphor of the “iron cage of rationality,” Lyotard contends that rationality is now a dominant force in the contemporary world. But, unlike Weber, Lyotard argues that the rationalization of society is inherently limited because of the decline of legitimizing metanarratives capable of providing it with foundational support. Instead, knowledge is commercialized, subjected to the whims of the capitalist marketplace, easily fragmented, and often sold piecemeal.
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Strain theory proposes that when ________, people resort to deviant means to accomplish socially defined goals.
A. conventional opportunities are blocked B. opportunities arise C. influenced by a deviant subculture D. pressured by expectations
Compared with Brazil, the United States imported:
a. about the same number of slaves b. fewer slaves c. many more slaves d. somewhat more slaves
Women are more likely to vote than men.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)
What does the evidence suggest about the American economy?
a. The U.S. economy is diminishing and soon other industrialized nations will surpass the United States. b. The U.S. economy is so large that it will remain the dominant economy in the world for the near future. c. No other nation has an economy anywhere near the size and power of the U.S. economy. d. There is no way to know the details about other nations’ economies for comparison purposes.