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Occasionally, in all disciplines1 in both the arts and sciences, a paradigm shift2 will occur which profoundly infl uences intellectual thought3 . One such shift was represented by postmodernism, a (largely European) philosophical movement4 of the late 20th century. As its name suggests, postmodernism followed and was a reaction to5 ‘modern’ thought that had its origins in the 18th century (the period of the Enlightenment), when it was believed that logic, science and rigorous thinking would improve the world. The modernists believed in the existence of complete truth and objectivity and the search for the absolute essence6 of things. The postmodernists rejected this way of thinking and asserted7 that there is no objective reality or objective truth and that it is impossible to generalise8 about human experience. Every individual interprets9 the world in his or her own way, and that no interpretation should be considered more valid10 than another