Talk

Relativism

Quite often, especially in the matters of religion, people take the opinon that everyone is entitled to a true belief (we can agree to disagree). Relativism is essentially the thesis that all points of view are accurate. The problem with this approach is that even a view that relativism is wrong is accorded validity.

A term that often shows up in the language today is moral relativism. As a neophyte philosopher moral relativism makes sense to me in the context of existentialism (Existence before essence), good/bad is determined uniquely and individually and aggregated by cultures and communities.

The counter argument is that there is infact essence before existence. Good does exist. Children must be taken care off. We must not harm others.

I'd put my money on Sartre and Camus on this one. It is facile to a person steeped in the western centric judaeo-christian ethic to propose that all other approaches to ethics are wrong.