ABSTRACT
The study of postmodernism should supplement other super-abstract building blocks like philosophy of science/epistemology, ethics, and economics. Public administration (PA) students should be concerned with the super-abstract because PA theory is important, and because PA theory is shallower without the super-abstract. Postmodernism provides valuable information about how to understand and formulate PA theory, and it generates significant content for PA theory. PA thinking becomes primarily a matter of construction, as in constructivist research and policy making. Studying PA, especially super-abstract topics like postmodernity, requires abstract reasoning skills. Discussion of postmodernity or other super-abstract topics should be prefaced by distinguishing the range of levels of PA activity. Postmodernism presents significant practical implications for PA theory and practice. Within a range or continuum, distinctions can be drawn between the micro-micro, micro and macro levels of PA. Applied to public administration, postmodernism can provide a lens that disrupts established habits of thought.
