In the conservative circles that I am
occasionally fortunate enough to enjoy, there is a standard contempt
for relativism. There is a pervasive belief that relativism is hostile
to truth, religion and traditional social values.
Relativism is not hostile to truth, religion or traditional social values. Relativism is a pure American form of intellectual thought that grows directly out of the great American philosophers from Peirce to James, to Dewey, to Goodman to Rorty.
Relativism is the understanding that you and I see the world from where we stand.
Where I stand, I see
the world as a twice married heterosexual male, who has grown
accomplished children and grandchildren, has wonderful brothers, who
flies a single engine plane, lived and worked in San Francisco during
the formative hippy years, had parents who were ADA ACLU lefties and
who (I did) worked in Israel after college at the U. of Chicago.
How can I see the world the way a woman who grew up in Osaka, is a 23 years old art major and is looking for a job in Kyoto sees the world? I can't.
That is relativism. I can see and hold as many truths as I want. I can worship any god or no god. But for me to tell you that my truths are universal truths that you must agree to my religion, is foolish, unAmerican and crass.
I can favor any view of traditional social values I can cobble together. I can be for them or against them. That says nothing about the nature of the traditional social values I'm talking about. An open minded, thinking American will readily admit that very few people could come to rigorous agreement about what the traditional social values might be. Does it include saluting the Confederate flag, opening the car door for a woman?
Relativism is pure pragmatic American thinking.