For nearly 50 years I have been hearing the phrase, “everything
is relative,” usefully applied in many situations, but sometimes applied in
contexts that puzzled me. To think more clearly, and to better understand our
world and our connection with others, we should look into the degree to which
this statement is true.
If we are talking about Einstein’s theories of relativity
we are on safe ground. But what the great scientist meant has nothing to do
with what we can describe today as relativism. Einstein’s view in his General
Theory was, putting it very simply, that there is no absolute motion---a very
specific application of the concept. And, interestingly, he was quite disturbed
when, in the 1920’s, “…the belief began to circulate, for the first time at the
popular level, that there were no longer any absolutes: of time and space, of
good and evil, of knowledge, above all of value.” (Modern Times, Paul Johnson). More on this in the next post.
What exactly is relativism? First, it is the belief that
anything---such as beauty, morality, meaning, and even taste---is dependent on
its particular standpoint. What I think is beautiful you may see as bland or
ugly. I look upon your house as unclean and my own as pristine, while a third
observer may easily see mine as filthy. All humans, regardless of culture or
country, bring different views to many things, from animal sacrifice to drug
use. Even identical twins can have differing perceptions. Divergent views are
natural and part of being human, and they are clearly relative to one’s view of
the world.
Second, relativism denies that a particular viewpoint is
better than another. Since our views are relative to our unique personal world,
the relativist reasonably asks how one view can be better than another. How can one be more correct or
valuable? Relativism says there are no ultimate values or moral systems that apply
to all humans. And some relativists will also argue there is neither right nor
wrong in any overriding sense applicable to all people, everywhere.
It is easy to see that relativism has wide-ranging
validity. It is most, and often irritatingly, evident when we encounter people whose
views are different from ours, something that happens constantly throughout our
lives. Consider the following words (of thousands): cloudy, energetic,
open-minded, fair, and low, none of which has an absolute definition. If we look
at the word “low,” we see that it is clearly relative to something else---something
that is high. What is low to me may be high to you. Or, consider the divergent
opinions people have in areas such as politics, education, or religion. Each
person’s view is relativistic in that how words or concepts are defined and
used are subjective determinations that each person makes based on his/her
perception of the world. Think about how much room for interpretation exists
for words like equality, justice, and love.
Understanding that people have different perspectives is
very important for everyday functioning. Being able to appreciate where another
is coming from, even if we disagree, is vital to successful connections with that
person. Many disagreements involve perceptual differences that require us to
think clearly and act helpfully. Connecting well with others in such situations
obviously involves an appreciation of relativism because we have all
experienced people whose views or values are so rigid that there is no room for
useful discussion or accommodation---my way or the highway, a view that is clearly
harmful to interpersonal relations.
Compassion in the broad sense requires that we accept
that others see the world differently than we do. But more than accept, it asks
that we ensure our differences with them are not carried out disrespectfully. If
we fail in that, even people who understand and operate from a strong
relativistic view may well behave inappropriately.
Most conversations start out with an exchange of
viewpoints. Regrettably, most of them never get beyond this. Obviously, a quality
conversation must begin with us accepting and embracing the relativism of our differing
views. Enacting this view means that both the issue and the conflicting parties
are uplifted because they have done two important things. They have:
·
Rejected any personal need to win or prevail
over the other.
·
They use inquiry as a prime method of developing
greater understanding of the issue and the person presenting it.
Having extolled the importance of relativism in this
post, I plan to look at some of relativism’s challenges in the next one.
