[MD] relative.

[MarshaV]

Oooops, I forgot to tack on the definition:



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relativism

noun (Philosophy) .
any theory holding that criteria of judgment are relative, varying with individuals and their environments.  

(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/relativism)  




Hi dmb, 


On Jan 13, 2012, at 10:27 AM, david buchanan wrote:

> 
> Marsha said to Mark:
> Tell me why you think relativism is destructiveness?  In its most general (Philosophy) dictionary definition it is presented as quite benign? 
> 
> 
> dmb says:
> Plato said the Sophists were relativists. Pirsig described Plato's accusation as vicious slander. The Stanford Encyclopedia does NOT describe it as "quite benign". Stanford says relativism is generally seen by philosophers as a "kiss of death".


Yes, you're the type of guy that thinks:   Fido is a mean dog, therefore all dogs are mean.  SEP talks about many different types of Relativism.   You'd conflate a particular type of relativism, 'objective cultural relativism', for instance, to represent all types of relativism.   Poor thinking process.   


> "Relativism also often sounds better in the abstract than it does when we get down to actual cases, which often turn out to be rather trivial, on the one hand, or quite implausible, on the other. But it is also true that most academic philosophers in the English-speaking world see the label ‘relativist’ as the kiss of death, so few have been willing to defend any version of the doctrine (there is less reluctance in some other disciplines)."


I am not going to defend relativism.  Like pragmatism, relativism is a static pattern of value.   I can only state, as I have in the past, when it comes to 'relativism' I don't find the term 'relativism', philosophically speaking, to be a "dirty word" or a "term of abuse"."   None the less, there is nothing in the dictionary's (Philosophy) definition of 'relativism' ' (posted below) that indicates valuelessness or that prohibits assigning value.  

If you would like to present a case that ALL forms of Relativism should be condemned, please do so, conflating and obfuscating does not count as an argument.  

Certainly not everyone thinks all types of relativism should be condemned.  

“It was classic William James, imbued with a sense of the relativism of all knowledge, a respect for and curiosity about alternative perspectives, an instinct to analyze clearly and thoroughly but to develop a synthesis wherever possible, and a conviction that the truth of any idea or thing is best understood by observing its action in the world.

	(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/americancollection/american/genius/william_bio.html)




Marsha 





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