Dear Gilberto,
RE:
> Unqualified relativism, of course, must hold all opinions as
> equally valid, but the Writings clearly do not agree with this.
You write,
>
"I think this is part of where we differ and may be some source of
confusion. I've never seen "relativism" defined this way before. I've
generally seen relativism defined as the idea that truth may depend on
time, place, culture or a specific individual's position. But that
doesn't necessarily mean that everything goes."
"Everything goes" is recognised as the logical outcome of the notion that
"truth may depend on time, place, culture or a specific individual's
position" for the simple reason that the latter denies that there can be any
neutral, transcendent Archimedean point or 'God's eye view' or absolute
standpoint from which to judge among various truth claims.
If every truth claim depends on the time, place culture, etc, then any
judgment between truth claims as to their validity also depends on time,
place, culture, etc. This can go on endlessly, because any judgment about
the judgment depends on etc etc etc.
IOW, relativism does not allow us to distinguish among truth claims, i.e. to
sort out the true, from false, from more or less probable - since every
viewpoint is dependent on time, place, culture and the specific individual's
position." If we can't make valid judgments among truth claims, then
inevitably, "everything goes."
If you deny that "everything goes" how, from what absolute standpoint can
you reject some viewpoints and accept others? After all, any viewpoint can
be established from some "specific individual's position."
Best wishes,
Ian Kluge
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