Postmodernism is a critical reaction to the real and perceived excesses of science and technology and to their social and philosophical implications. Postmodernism rejects the assumption that science has a special and privileged claim to truth, a claim that is fundamental to chemical engineering. The postmodern spirit demands that chemical engineers give attention not only to society's material needs but also to its humanistic concerns. Because chemical engineering is unavoidably a part of, not apart from, the society that it serves, our profession must reinvent itself to meet society's expectations.