Rating: 
Summary: nice!
Review: A fine book that espouses a Post-Modern philosophy, akin to Baudrillard, Derrida and others.
Most people who come to this book, so do because they would like to know what Post-Modernism is.
Well, a definition would require some sort of truth, some sort of objective character (rather than agreement between the speakers), and, well, according to Post-Modernism, there probably isn't any (so long as we have an understanding of time, and the translation of the perceptual into the conceptual, and how mistranslation is at any time possible, and without guarantee.) However, you can still get your own idea, your own truth, to use Nietzsche's expression, of what Post-Modernism is. That, I suppose, would be the main reason to read this book, rather than to appear chic and cultured, and to know about everything that is in vogue intellectually, which can motivate many people to read many a book.
"To be edified without ostentation."
Also recommended: Toilet: The Novel by Michael Szymczyk (A Tribute to the Literary Works of Franz Kafka)
Rating: 
Summary: A seminal work of the late twentieth century
Review: I'm not sure a rating is particularly appropriate, but that's another story. The Postmodern Condition (or PMC for brevity) is sometimes outrageous, often thought-provoking, and probably worth not ignoring. Commissioned by one or another of Quebec's many bueracratic institutions as a report on education, the PMC instead is an attempt at a sweeping analysis of late-20th century knowledge. This isn't college so I'm not going to pretend to remember all my fancy debate techniques, but a few things stick out. Lyotard asserts that the late 20th century is characterized by experts who generate self-perpetuated claims to legitimacy (he calls this process legitimation and alludes to Wittgenstein, which I have to admit was always too boring for me to read or understand due to my simple-minded nature). This small group of technocratic experts wields an unbalanced amount of influence in the shaping of knowledge, from governmental gnomes to university academics. I also remember becoming interested in the idea of "intervention". At one point can one intervene in a situation, that is, to seek to alter it? What are the rules of an ethical intervention, as opposed to what Lyotard does, which is to document the destruction? It is interesting to read Habermas as a radical contrast to Lyotard.
Rating:
Summary: Towards a postmodern sociology of knowledge
Review: Lyotard's "The PostModern Condition", is an exciting atttempt at a postmodern Sociology of Knowledge. Using Weberian and Habermasian concepts of legitimation, Lyotard gices a critique of critique, showing how all forms of knowledge are, in the end, dependent on the Narrative, the story which humansociety tells of itself. From this Levi-Straussian concept, Lyotard builds an interesting framework for Modern, PostModern and Futuristic definitions of knowledge. So why did I give the book only 4 stars? Because Lyotard fails inhis attempts at encorparating Anglo-American philosophy into the book. His total misconception of Wittgenstein can be flabbergasting to anyone who's studied this tradition of philosophy. Still, the book is probably the easiest of its type to understand and it is quite enjoyable to read. But it's a good idea to supplement it with some Foucault and some Habermas.
Rating:
Summary: A Seminal Tome
Review: Lyotard's characterization of Postmodernism as "skepticism toward grand narratives," has become the grand narrative of Postmodernism. However, much Postmodern thought has emerged since L's seminal tome: writers such as Jenks on Postmodern architecture, Deleuze and Guitarri, Derrida, Foucault, Cyberpunk and even Madonna-ologists. A good survey of this movement can be found in "Postmodernism for Beginners," by Jim Powell. Also useful: Jenck's "What is Postmodernism?"
Rating:
Summary: A guilty pleasure!
Review: Lyotard, who enriched our world with differends, ups the ante in this high-stakes absurdist erotic thriller. From the opening pages, including elements as disparate as virtual reality seduction, Heisenbergian physics, and a Russian roulette-type game of Scrabble, to the unexpected epilogue (bizarrely entitled "What Is Postmodernism?") unravelling a world-wide art scam, Lyotard keeps us guessing. He uses ambiguity to great effect, mixing discussions about science with gruesome descriptions of S&M hell, creating an erotic tension that doesn't let the reader go even after the book is over. The high pace made my head spin, and although the level of violence is relatively low for a French postmodernist book, the excitement never lets up. I cannot wait for the movie version. Always staying on the side of sensuality rather than vulgar lust, Lyotard has given us another guilty pleasure to snuggle up with when the winter nights get too lonely.
Rating:
Summary: A crisis of legitimation
Review: No one can deny that the 20th century has been one of wars and legitimation. Theorists from all discplines were engaged in a rush to explain and legitimate first modernism and then the collapse theoreof at the hands of the new wave of thinkers in the second half of the century. Lyotard's work is ground-breaking in the sense it reduces post-modernism to a state of collapse; the destruction of grand-narratives. He fails, however, in defending his conception of what replaced those grand-narratives. The notion of grand-narratives itself is extremely suspect and implies the complete replacement of universalised notions with localised discursive practices. Lyotard's language games, very Wittgensteinan in source, were set back by his dependance on the theory of speech acts rather than the rich insights of criticl linguistics. The notions advanced in this book are very interesting but the definition of localised language games left a lot to be desired. Maybe Foucault was correct in refusing to tie his conception of discourse and discursive practices to one theory of lingusitic analysis. Lyotard should have done the same.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Postmodernism
Review: This book is a classic that anyone attempting to understand postmoderism must read. Beware! This book is not for the faint of heart as some may find the language inaccessible and somewhat unapproachable. Those who aspire to understand topics such as critical race theory, post-structuralism, critical pedagogy, feminist theory, lat-crit theory, critical race feminism and other theoretical issues of diversity should come to understand postmodernism through the lens of this author and scholar.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Postmodernism
Review: This book is a classic that anyone attempting to understand postmoderism must read. Beware! This book is not for the faint of heart as some may find the language inaccessible and somewhat unapproachable. Those who aspire to understand topics such as critical race theory, post-structuralism, critical pedagogy, feminist theory, lat-crit theory, critical race feminism and other theoretical issues of diversity should come to understand postmodernism through the lens of this author and scholar.
Rating: 
Summary: The Irrelevant Condition
Review: This ponderous mix of the philosophy of art, science, and politics leaves you with a headache and the irrelevant conclusion: "Let us wage war on totality; let us be witnesses to the unpresentable; let us activate the differences and save the honor of the name." Huh? This conclusion has as much practical value as the entire book. Lyotard seems to think that scientific validity is something similar to government legitimacy, and is thus based on doctrines, dogmas, and the degree to which people subscribe to them. He thinks such validity can be created and undone with what he calls "language games." Economically advanced societies are under what he believes to be the language game of "performativity" which, in common sense terms, means the desire to be efficient. Lyotard theorizes and philosophizes in such general terms that his postmodernism bears striking resemblance to the "totality" and holistic perspective on which he would wage war. No, Mr. Lyotard, all scientific theories are not created equal, not equally valid. And this postmodern masterpiece seems less relevant every day.
Rating:
Summary: The Irrelevant Condition
Review: This ponderous mix of the philosophy of art, science, and politics leaves you with a headache and the irrelevant conclusion: "Let us wage war on totality; let us be witnesses to the unpresentable; let us activate the differences and save the honor of the name." Huh? This conclusion has as much practical value as the entire book. Lyotard seems to think that scientific validity is something similar to government legitimacy, and is thus based on doctrines, dogmas, and the degree to which people subscribe to them. He thinks such validity can be created and undone with what he calls "language games." Economically advanced societies are under what he believes to be the language game of "performativity" which, in common sense terms, means the desire to be efficient. Lyotard theorizes and philosophizes in such general terms that his postmodernism bears striking resemblance to the "totality" and holistic perspective on which he would wage war. No, Mr. Lyotard, all scientific theories are not created equal, not equally valid. And this postmodern masterpiece seems less relevant every day.
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