Definitions by Abzugal
Valid Relativism
A nuanced form of relativism that acknowledges the context-dependence of truth, knowledge, and values without collapsing into the nihilistic "anything goes" position often associated with relativism. Valid Relativism argues that different perspectives, cultures, and contexts produce different truths—but that these truths can still be evaluated, compared, and judged. Some perspectives are more adequate, more comprehensive, more useful than others; not all truths are equal. Valid Relativism is the middle path between absolutism (one truth for everyone) and nihilism (no truth at all). It's the recognition that truth is plural without being arbitrary, contextual without being meaningless.
Example: "He used to think that if truth wasn't absolute, it must be arbitrary. Valid Relativism showed him otherwise: different cultures had different truths, but those truths could be compared, evaluated, learned from. The fact that truth was contextual didn't mean anything went; it meant context mattered. He stopped defending absolutes and started paying attention to where he was standing."
Valid Relativism by Abzugal February 21, 2026
Theory of Valid Postmodernism
The systematic elaboration of valid postmodernism as a framework for critical engagement with contemporary reality. The Theory of Valid Postmodernism argues that postmodern insights are not a descent into relativism but an ascent into complexity. It traces the development of postmodern thought, shows how its critiques can be used constructively, and develops criteria for distinguishing between useful deconstruction and destructive nihilism. It doesn't claim that all truths are equal; it claims that truth is more complicated than we thought. The Theory of Valid Postmodernism is the attempt to think clearly in a world where old certainties have collapsed and new ones haven't yet been built—and maybe shouldn't be.
Example: "He'd been searching for a way to hold postmodern insights without falling into despair. The Theory of Valid Postmodernism gave him that: critique without cynicism, deconstruction without destruction, complexity without collapse. He could see how truth was constructed without giving up on truth. He could question everything without believing nothing. Valid postmodernism was the middle path he'd been looking for."
Theory of Valid Postmodernism by Abzugal February 21, 2026
Valid Postmodernism
The recognition that postmodernism, often dismissed as nihilistic or relativistic, contains valid insights about the nature of truth, power, and reality that are essential for navigating the contemporary world. Valid Postmodernism accepts the core postmodern critiques—that truth is constructed, that power shapes knowledge, that grand narratives are suspect—without collapsing into the conclusion that nothing is true or everything is permitted. It uses postmodern tools to clear away false certainties, expose hidden power, and open space for new possibilities, while retaining the ability to make judgments, take stands, and fight for what matters. Valid Postmodernism is postmodernism with a spine, critique with commitment, deconstruction with construction.
Example: "He'd dismissed postmodernism as nonsense, nihilism, the end of everything. Valid Postmodernism showed him otherwise: the tools of deconstruction could expose power, the critique of grand narratives could free him from dogma, the recognition that truth is constructed could make him humble. He didn't have to accept everything; he just had to question everything—including his own certainties."
Valid Postmodernism by Abzugal February 21, 2026
Theory of the Reality of Power
The theory that reality itself is shaped by power—that what counts as real, what counts as true, what counts as possible is determined by those who hold power. The Theory of the Reality of Power argues that power doesn't just control resources or institutions; it controls the very terms of reality. Those who have power define what can be said, what can be thought, what can be known. They determine which facts matter, which truths are recognized, which realities are real. This is not conspiracy; it's structure. Power shapes reality not by lying but by defining the terms on which truth is told. The Theory of the Reality of Power is the recognition that reality has a politics.
Example: "He used to think reality was just reality—given, fixed, neutral. The Theory of the Reality of Power showed him otherwise: those with power decided what counted as real. Their version was taught in schools, repeated in media, enforced by law. Other realities existed, but they were marginalized, suppressed, erased. Reality wasn't neutral; it was political. He started asking who got to define what's real—and who paid the price."
Theory of the Reality of Power by Abzugal February 21, 2026
Theory of Post-Western Rationality
The systematic elaboration of post-Western rationality as a framework for understanding cognitive diversity. The Theory of Post-Western Rationality argues that the dominance of Western rationality is a historical accident, not a logical necessity—a product of colonialism, not cognitive superiority. It traces the development of alternative rationalities in different cultures, shows how they work on their own terms, and argues for their legitimacy. It doesn't claim that all rationalities are equally good for all purposes; it claims that they are different tools for different tasks, and that we need all of them. The Theory of Post-Western Rationality is the foundation of cognitive decolonization, of the recognition that reason has many homes.
Example: "He'd assumed that Western science was simply the best way to know things. The Theory of Post-Western Rationality showed him otherwise: Indigenous knowledge systems, Eastern philosophies, African epistemologies—all were rationalities, all were valid, all had things to teach. He stopped treating other ways of knowing as inferior and started learning from them."
Theory of Post-Western Rationality by Abzugal February 21, 2026
Post-Western Rationality
The recognition that the Western model of rationality—with its emphasis on universal logic, formal proof, and objective truth—is not the only model, and that alternative rationalities exist and are valid. Post-Western Rationality doesn't reject reason; it pluralizes it. It argues that different cultures, different traditions, different contexts have developed different ways of reasoning, different standards of validity, different conceptions of truth. These are not failed attempts at Western rationality; they are different rationalities altogether. Post-Western Rationality is the philosophy of cognitive diversity, of the recognition that reason is not one thing but many.
Example: "He'd been taught that Western logic was just logic—the only way to reason properly. Post-Western Rationality showed him otherwise: other cultures had other logics, other ways of knowing, other standards of validity. These weren't primitive; they were different. He stopped judging other rationalities by Western standards and started learning to think in new ways."
Post-Western Rationality by Abzugal February 21, 2026
Theory of Valid Post-Truth
The systematic elaboration of valid post-truth as a framework for understanding contemporary epistemology. The Theory of Valid Post-Truth argues that we are witnessing not the death of truth but its mutation—a shift from truth-as-correspondence to truth-as-performance, truth-as-identity, truth-as-weapon. It traces the conditions that produced this shift: the collapse of trusted institutions, the rise of social media, the weaponization of information, the fragmentation of publics. It doesn't celebrate this shift or lament it; it seeks to understand it, to map its contours, to navigate its terrain. The Theory of Valid Post-Truth is the attempt to think clearly about a world where truth is no longer what it was.
Example: "He'd been searching for a way to understand the new information landscape—the lies that felt true, the facts that convinced no one. The Theory of Valid Post-Truth gave him language: truth had mutated, shifted from correspondence to performance. He stopped trying to fight the old war and started learning to navigate the new terrain."
Theory of Valid Post-Truth by Abzugal February 21, 2026