Sunday, May 14, 2006

Absolute relativism

This is going to be my shortest post..
Relativism is absolutely true. this statement contradicts itself. if relativism is true, then there are no absolutes. so the more appropriate statement would be that relativism might be true. considering if relativism is true, then what happens if I think relativism is false? by the nature of relativism, u can't say that what I say is wrong cos relativism says that everyone is right. but if what I say is correct, then relativism is false. so how in the world can relativism be true?

I am not talking about cultural and social norms and preferences here. such things are relative by nature. I like pink, u like blue. there is no truth in what colour to like. so of cos relativism must stand here. same goes for how u want your steak and eggs done..

but relativism is an idea that is fundamentally flawed especially when it comes to God and religion. some people say that all religions are true and all will lead to the same destination.. that is really ignorance at its best.. simply because Christianity says that the only way to know God is through Jesus and Jesus is God, Buddhism says there is no one God and everyone can reach godlikeness or nirvana on their own while Islam says that Jesus is merely a prophet and not God.. so how can these different paths lead to the same destination when they totally contradict each other? how can we be subject to different "systems" when we live on the same earth and breathe the same air?

same goes for the idea that we are perceiving different aspects of the same reality..
if my reality is that your reality is false, then both cannot be true. if both are not true, then one of us (or both) is in error. if one or both of us is in error, then relativism is not true.

ok it's a bit mind boggling.. so take your time to figure that out.