Relativism (New Problems of Philosophy)

by Annalisa Coliva (Author), Maria Baghramian (Author)

• New

  Hardcover
  2017

  $143.02

  'It's all relative'. In a world of increasing cultural diversity, where quantum physics erodes our beliefs in the laws of nature, and where the thinking habits and moral codes of remote peoples are at odds with our own, it can seem that everything is indeed relative. But are we prepared to concede that there is no such thing as right and wrong, and no objective truth? The label 'relativism' covers a variety of philosophical positions which claim that standards of truth, rationality or ethical right and wrong vary between times, places, and contexts. In Relativism, Maria Baghramian surveys the different varieties of relativism and the arguments for and against them, and examines why relativism has survived for two thousand years despite all the criticisms levelled against it. Relativism provides a historical overview of the subject, from Pythagoras to postmodernism. Baghramian covers the arguments for and against the many subdivisions of relativism: scientific, moral, conceptual, and others. She brings the debate right up to date with a look at the recent criticisms of relativism offered by Quine and Davidson, and proposes her own moderate form of pluralism which attempts to addres