Abstract: The subject of this research is agnosticism as the methodological principle of postmodernism, and gnoseological pessimism as its social reflection. The goal of the research is the determination of the social role of science during the postmodern era. The authors present the pros and cons arguments, for the first time appealing to various philosophical and sociological concepts, as well as phenomena in socio-political and socio-economic spheres, as well as people’s everyday life. The work uses the method of complex (interdisciplinary, retrospective, and behavioral) comparative analysis, which allows revealing the direct and indirect connections between the theory of cognition and social perception of science. The conclusion is made that in the era of postmodernism, science and its place in society undergo the changes similar to those that happened in religion centuries ago. The conducted complex analysis is capable of initiating a broad discussion about the role and place of science in the modern world.