ABSTRACT
I must begin with a word of explanation-and perhaps of reassurance. I am not a philosopher and so this chapter will not be concerned with philosophical analysis. That lies beyond my competence. But while I am not a philosopher, I live and move and have my being in a world full of them! And as I listen to the conversation of my academic colleagues, I hear them use a certain kind of language, and I am aware that they are describing concepts and realities which attempt to name and identify certain fundamental changes which are taking place in society. I thought therefore, as I began to look for a theme for this chapter, that it might be an idea to identify the nature of this so-called postmodern society about which my colleagues were talking, to try to tease out what (if anything) it meant in practice and to explore the possible implications for pastoral counselling.
