What About Relativism?

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.