relativism
any theory holding that criteria of judgment are relative, varying with individuals and their environments.
Origin of relativism
1Words Nearby relativism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use relativism in a sentence
We needn’t choose between wide-open moral relativism and a rigid insistence that there is just one right way to live.
Are We Cut Out for Universal Morality? - Issue 100: Outsiders | William J. FitzPatrick | May 26, 2021 | NautilusIn a few neat sentences, Perry turns the idea of moral obligation into moral relativism.
Confronting George Clooney’s Critics on South Sudan | John Avlon | October 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut no spineless relativism is necessary to recognize that, for most human beings, realness comes in various flavors.
Atheist Philosopher Peter Boghossian’s Guide to Converting Believers | Michael Schulson | November 2, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut in bilateral human-rights dialogues, the Chinese continue to insist on cultural and historical relativism.
Obama, Don’t Let Xi Forget China’s Human Rights Record | Yang Jianli | June 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTNot too long ago, that idea was kind of out of vogue, and moral relativism was the rage.
Andrew Roberts on how moral relativism is keeping bad guys from getting what they deserve.
Enough With the Cliffhangers! Movies Need a Cathartic Conclusion | Andrew Roberts | March 25, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTJefferson's relativism is even more clearly marked in the last chapter, which forms the real conclusion of the book.
Thomas Jefferson | Gilbert ChinardIf this one exception is granted, the whole illusory universe of relativism is overthrown.
Outspoken Essays | William Ralph IngeThe inevitable consequence is that we imprison ourselves hopelessly in the affirmation of Kantian relativism.
A New Philosophy: Henri Bergson | Edouard le RoyThe former view is relativism, the latter is absolutism, in the matter of truth.
Pragmatism | D.L. Murray
British Dictionary definitions for relativism
/ (ˈrɛlətɪˌvɪzəm) /
any theory holding that truth or moral or aesthetic value, etc, is not universal or absolute but may differ between individuals or cultures: See also historicism
Derived forms of relativism
- relativist, noun, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for relativism
The doctrine that no ideas or beliefs are universally true but that all are, instead, “relative” — that is, their validity depends on the circumstances in which they are applied.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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