A Critical Study of Relativism: A Feature of Postmodernism

Abstract

In the Western countries, the concept of postmodernism is not new and novel. It is an extension of human inquiry in social issues and problems, new shapes of expressions and new trends of analyses and sensibility. Relativism is a prominent feature of Postmodernism. Relativism is a doctrine and set of beliefs about absence of truth, that there is no absolute truth which is equally valid to all. Individual’s version of truth differs and varies. In the present postmodern circles of philosophy and other fields of wisdom, prominent and most widely discussed verities of relativism are: Moral Relativism, Cultural Relativism, Historical Relativism, Epistemic Relativism, Conceptual Relativism, Alethic Relativism, Epistemic Relativism, Rational Relativism, Logical Relativism, Anthropological Relativism, Descriptive Relativism, Normative Relativism, and New Relativism etc. It claims that two persons bearer of opposite ideas may be right at the same time. This formula is also applicable to religion that is all religions are equally valid. In actual life and experience this is not the case. Some things are plainly right and straightforwardly wrong, not relative and regardless of tastes of people. This article presents critical analysis of Relativism and its different features. The study shows logical paradox of Relativism.

Keywords

• Postmodernism
• Metanarratives
• Relativism
• Skepticism
• Paradigm shift.