Relativism (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what relativism is and its main characteristics. Also, criticisms of this school of thought, examples and more.

What is relativism?

Relativism is a philosophical position that thinks of truth in relative terms, not absolutes. That truth is relative and not absolute means that its truth character (its truth character) is such only in comparison or relation to something else.

For relativism, To speak of “truth” is to speak of one truth among others.. This is related to knowledge and its degree of truthfulness. That is, for relativism, human knowledge is relative, conditioned by its historical, cultural, economic and political context.

There are different forms of relativism, either because of their radicality or because of the field to which they are applied. Moral or ethical relativism, epistemological relativism, cultural relativism and relativism in physics are some of them.

History of relativism

As a philosophical position, Relativism has existed since the beginning of Western philosophy. An example of this are the sophists, Greek thinkers from the 5th century BC. C. In opposition to the ideas of Socrates and Plato (who proposed fixed and absolute truths) the sophists developed a theory of knowledge whose truth character was relative to the way in which it was presented in discourse. The best known of the sophists, Protagoras (490-420 BC), stated that man is the measure of all things. This can be interpreted as a form of epistemological relativism of the subjective type, thinking that things are according to who and how they look at them.

The ideas of Protagoras and the sophists were followed by Pyrrhonian skepticism. Pyrrho (360-270 BC) was a Greek philosopher who took on the ideas of Protagoras as precursors to his own thought. Some features of Pyrrhonian thought can be glimpsed in the work of Boethius (480-524) and even in Averroes (1126-1198). The same can be said of the thought of modern philosophers such as Montaigne (1533-1592), Rousseau (1712-1778), Voltaire (1694-1778) and Montesquieu (1689-1755), who shared the idea of cultural relativism.

Types of relativism

Relativism is a philosophical position that denies the existence of a single and absolute truth. Instead of believing that there is a single independent truth, relativism maintains that truth is relative to at least one point of referencewhether from where you think about it, when or for what. In this sense, we can talk about three general types of relativism:

epistemological relativism. Epistemological or cognitive relativism maintains that there are no universal truths. All knowledge is relative to the conditions or context of whoever claims it. A form of epistemological or cognitive relativism is subjectivism, which maintains that knowledge is relative to the conditions of the enunciating subject.
Cultural relativism. Cultural and moral relativism argues that there is no absolute truth but that the truth depends on each individual in a specific space and time. It states that the diversity of cultural ideas cannot be reduced to a single form, since all societies are different. Like moral relativism, this form of relativism often faces ethical dilemmas that end up defining the laws and norms that govern each society.
Relativism in physics. Relativism in physics maintains that truth is relative to the model according to which it is observed. This became evident in the field of quantum physics, especially after the emergence of Einstein's theory of relativity and other ideas that even today are simultaneously valid, even though they may be contradictory to each other.

Characteristics of relativism

Among the main characteristics of relativism are:

Knowledge is not unique and absolute, but exists in comparison to something else or its context. For example: something is considered good only in comparison to something bad and in a specific circumstance.
Knowledge is conditioned by culture, morality and the preconceptions that each individual has. For example: something is true in a certain culture, but in another it is considered false, due to the beliefs and customs that condition the definition of the concepts.
The notion of relativism is applied to the field of knowledge in general, although it is better distinguished in the field of morality, ethics and culture.
The different ways of interpreting and explaining the world are valid, as long as they are formulated based on understandable and justifiable arguments.
Truth and knowledge are not independent of individuals and their context (as the objectivist current proposes) but quite the opposite.

Example of relativism

An example of relativistic thinking is the conception that has been had of thunder throughout the history of humanity. Primitive civilizations have interpreted thunder as the manifestation of the “anger of the gods” instead of considering it as a meteorological phenomenon.

The definition or explanation of the event is influenced by the context and the historical moment in which it takes place. As the time and place changes and individuals evolve, the conception of the same fact becomes relative or different.

According to relativism, It is not about one culture being better or superior than another.but both are important and are sustained based on their own knowledge and beliefs that, despite being different, are necessary to better understand the world (as long as their concepts are founded).

Criticisms of relativism

Among the main criticisms of relativism, the following positions stand out:

Everything ends up being subjective. There are certain issues that are impossible to address from absolute subjectivity: coherence is lost when trying to accept absolutely all points of view. Due to the lack of parameters, relativism is a subjective trend.
Relativism contradicts itself. According to logic as a philosophical discipline, we can take the statement “all truth is relative” as a statement that claims to be true. If this is so, then the statement is contradictory, since holding that all truth is relative implies that even this fact itself is relative and there can be some absolute truth, at least as a possibility.

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