The slogan of postmodernism is ambiguous yet unavoidable. Wolfgang Welsch speaks of a "magic of the false name." The discourse on postmodernism is often too diffuse rather than precise and risks slipping into arbitrariness and indifference. This is not the case in this book. The author reconstructs the history of the term and develops a concept of postmodernism that is as applicable to literature, architecture, and the other arts as it is reflective of recent developments in the theory of science, addresses sociological questions, diagnoses changes in the lifeworld, and explores the philosophical dimensions of the topic. Wolfgang Welsch, as a philosopher, looks beyond the boundaries of his discipline and provides a comprehensive picture of our time. He does this in the form of a concept of plurality that does not erase differences but rather releases and deepens them.