relativism

Word family

• relative
  adjectiveB2
• relatively
  adverbB1
• relativity
  nounB2
• relativist
  nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Relativism is the broadest term: it claims that truth and moral judgments depend on cultural or situational context, not on fixed universal rules. Subjectivism narrows this to the individual — your personal feelings determine what is true or good for you. Perspectivism, associated with Nietzsche, holds that all knowledge is bound to a particular viewpoint, but it does not necessarily deny an objective reality the way strong relativism sometimes does. Absolutism is the direct opposite: it holds that certain truths or moral laws are valid for all people, in all places, at all times. For example, a relativist would say 'slavery was accepted in ancient Rome because their moral framework was different,' while an absolutist would reply 'slavery was always wrong, even if people at the time did not see it.'

Common collocations

Etymology

Formed from the adjective relative (from Latin relativus 'having reference to something') and the suffix -ism, which marks a doctrine or system of belief. The word entered English philosophical writing in the mid-19th century. Relativistic ways of thinking can be traced much further back — the ancient Greek sophist Protagoras famously declared that 'man is the measure of all things.' In the 20th century, relativism became central to anthropology through the work of Franz Boas and his students, who argued that each culture must be understood on its own terms.