Postmodern relativism and the impermanence of truth has been attacked on many fronts for their sometimes radical views on reality, but I think to a large extent we all should agree, and be aware of, the fact that the notion of cultural and even 'scientific' truths are always being written and contested. Ignoring the actual debate on the fight for scholarly truth versus religious self-portrayals, this article on the fight for the right to narrate in textbooks clearly shows the awareness of these people of the power of history. History makes the present moment by situating us in particular perspectives to view reality, and therefore I always think control of the past is in some ways more important than of the present or the future.
Throughout the ages, the people with the political power, the aggressor, the kings and emperors, have always wanted to change the social system, rewrite cultural history, and burn the books. Now that power in the modern world is fractured and largely dispersed through the people in many ways and mediums, the fight for the right to write and to be read is fiercer than ever.
So, read widely, judge critically, and always be a skeptic. If the past is always being fought over to be written on and the present an unceasing war for power, get into the thick of things and slug it out with them, and perhaps then you can get a little nearer to the truth of things as they really are.
(Postscript - Coincidentally, here science is presented as another form of discourse, which might be true in a certain sense. However, this truism should not distract from the endeavours of the scientific effort; this is one way in which the postmodern notion of truth can be detrimental to progress, and where I differ from its views.)
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