 The rise of postmodernism has proved to be an important impetus for developments within hermeneutics. While ‘postmodernism’ signifies a number of things, of particular influence in philosophy is Jean-François Lyotard’s definition of postmodernism as an “incredulity toward metanarratives” (Lyotard, Postmodern Condition, xxiv). By ‘metanarrative,’ Lyotard has in mind foundational stories of modern Western philosophy, especially, as these foundational stories function to legitimate discourses in the sciences (Lyotard, Postmodern Condition, 34). Examples of metanarratives include, say, stories about the objectivity of science and the contribution that science makes to the betterment of society.