Final answer:
Postmodernism is a reaction to Modernism, focusing on relativism and challenging the pursuit of universal truths. It is skeptical of traditional philosophy and metaphysics, emphasizing the plurality of realities based on individual perspectives.
Step-by-step explanation:
Postmodernism is primarily an intellectual and cultural reaction to Modernism, a movement characterized by its alignment with cultural trends and changes that arose from significant societal transformations in the West during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This encompasses the rapid industrialization, urbanization, and the consequent horrors of World War I that led to a rethinking of traditional values.
The contributions to literature, architecture, and culture under the banner of postmodernism often reject the notions of universal truths or principles in favor of relativism, suggesting that reality varies based on individual interpretations and experiences.
Postmodernism engages in a playful use of language and text, and employs experimental techniques in the arts, much like Modernism, but with a more playful and skeptical approach to the role of language and technique in the creation of fiction, poetry, and drama.
It questions the past philosophical pursuits for a singular reality or truth, instead promoting the idea that multiple realities can exist simultaneously. This skepticism also translates into the practice of deconstruction, where postmodern thinkers reject traditional philosophy and metaphysics entirely, highlighting the limits of human reason as a tool for uncovering universal truths.