A provocative explanation of why postmodernism was the most vibrant intellectual movement of the 20th century. Philosopher Stephen Hicks examines European thought from Rousseau to Foucault to trace the path of relativist ideas from their origins to their apogee in the second half of the last century. Explaining Postmodernism is a polemical history that takes a fresh look at debates over political correctness, multiculturalism and the future of liberal democracy, and tells us how the progressive left, optimistic about the future, has become apologists for anti-science and cynicism, and why their influence is still great among modern philosophers.