Background and foregorund: is there an ultimate narrative?

In this essay, I develop the concept of background and foreground. This may alternatively be understood as the post structural demarcation of presence and absence. Based on this, I argue initially theoretically and then as applied to apparent grand narratives: mathematics and science; art; philosophy; politics; psychology and briefly religion. arguing that no grand narrative (ultimate paradigm) is forthcoming and what appears to be a foreground may recede into the background depending on the focus. I conclude that perhaps mysticism or some form thereof is the only solution for both arguing for the concept of a grand narrative and for access to such an “entity”, the cause.