Relativism is the belief that there is no One Truth. Instead, every group (or perhaps everyone!) has their own truth. My truth is different from your truth. Our truth is different from their truth.
But this is nonsense. You believe something because you think that it is true -- you believe that it accurately describes the world. It sounds trivial but you believe that your beliefs are true, otherwise you'd change your beliefs!
It is easy to prove that we live in the same world because we can interact with each other without traveling to another world.
We all believe different things and each of us may be wrong about our beliefs. In fact, it is logically impossible for all of us to be right since we believe different things about fundamental issues. It is logically impossible for all metaphysical systems to be true since they are contradictory. It is possible that all of them are false. It is possible that one of them is true.
But it is most likely that we will never truly know the answers to life's biggest questions.
I believe in atheism, materialism, environmentalism, liberalism, a mix of socialism and capitalism, some modified form of utilitarianism, and a laughing Stoicism. I believe these because I think they are true.
Liberalism is not Relativism. Relativists reject Truth and embrace multiple truths as the One Truth. Liberals acknowledge that everyone believes their beliefs to be true and they realize the lesson in humility there.
Showing posts with label liberal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label liberal. Show all posts
Everyone has stories
Everything exists in four dimensions, and we bring our stories with us wherever we go. I have chosen not to tell my stories in this blog. Interactions change once stories are told. You feel an obligation to agree. You have shared suffering -- literally, compassion -- and this leads to over identifying with their beliefs. You become easily persuaded.
Do not be easily persuaded here. Please disagree. My beliefs do not require your agreement.
Being a liberal means accepting that other people have the right to be wrong.
Do not be easily persuaded here. Please disagree. My beliefs do not require your agreement.
Being a liberal means accepting that other people have the right to be wrong.
Sophists and the law
The ancient Sophists argued that human law is all made up and often in conflict with natural law. They argued that the only real reason for following these made up human laws is the fear of getting caught and punished. So, they reasoned, if no one is watching, then go ahead and break those arbitrary laws.
This is similar to contemporary debates about the law. Liberals claim that our laws about marriage are just made up, and so we can make them up differently to allow same sex marriages. Conservatives claim that these are natural laws and to change them would radically alter the fabric of reality. Which is it?
As with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Human laws are arbitrary, but it is not arbitrary that we have laws. Consider driving. It is completely arbitrary that we drive on the right side of the road. But it is necessary that we all drive on the same side.
This is similar to contemporary debates about the law. Liberals claim that our laws about marriage are just made up, and so we can make them up differently to allow same sex marriages. Conservatives claim that these are natural laws and to change them would radically alter the fabric of reality. Which is it?
As with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Human laws are arbitrary, but it is not arbitrary that we have laws. Consider driving. It is completely arbitrary that we drive on the right side of the road. But it is necessary that we all drive on the same side.
The War between the Conservatives
Here in the U.S., there are conservatives who are eager for more warfare in the Middle East and there are liberals who want to pull our troops out of there. In Middle Eastern countries, there are conservatives who are eager for more warfare with “The Great Satan,” and there are liberals who embrace Western culture and want an end to the violence.
“The War on Terror” is the wrong name for this conflict. It should be called “The War between the Conservatives.”
“The War on Terror” is the wrong name for this conflict. It should be called “The War between the Conservatives.”
A Bushie Irony
One of the stated reasons for invading Iraq was to create a secular, liberal democracy that would be a model for the Middle East. The Bushies wanted Iraqis to respect each other's religious differences (liberalism) and create a non-theocractic government (secularism).
The irony is that the same Bushies don't want a secular, liberal democracy in the U.S. They insist upon the phrase "under God" in the pledge of allegiance, they want copies of The Ten Commandments displayed in public places, they want to ban homosexuality, and so on, and so on.
Pursuing a strategy that they clearly don't want makes them look like a giant dog chasing its own tail.
The irony is that the same Bushies don't want a secular, liberal democracy in the U.S. They insist upon the phrase "under God" in the pledge of allegiance, they want copies of The Ten Commandments displayed in public places, they want to ban homosexuality, and so on, and so on.
Pursuing a strategy that they clearly don't want makes them look like a giant dog chasing its own tail.
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