Relativism

A worldview common in the West (but held by very few philosophers) which people arive at after very little actual thought. Consists of the notion that there is no single objective truth, and that no one can say anything is true.

Ironically, no one who adheres to relativism can say that relativism is true.

Smart person: "How can you objectively claim that there are no objective claims?"

Relativist: *brain melts* "Stop persecuting me, you xenophobe!"

by Grim Winnebago January 9, 2004

Relativism

It's relative to the person asking the definition..

Relativism pretty much means What is true for me is true for me and what is true for you is true for you..

by thesquareof4 August 14, 2012

relativism

a very common belief these days. revolves mainly around the idea, "what is right for you isn't right for me". denies that there is truth at all. many relativists realize that mathematical truths cannot be disproven, but they still susbscribe to the idea that multiple opposing ideas can exist in the same realm and still produce no conflicts.

hitler thought it was perfectly fine of him to kill millions of people. obviously, he was a relativist. the people he oppressed obviously didn't have the same veiw, and look at what happened. they were killed.

by karl June 8, 2004

Relativism

Intellectual laziness.

Everything is relative. This means that all belief systems are equally true, except for Christianity and anything remotely pro-western or pro-American.

Also, since relativism holds that there is no center of truth, it is a perfectly valid opinion to say that "Plan 9 From Outer Space" is a better movie than "Citizen Kane", because my opinion is just as valid as yours, even when I don't bother to back it up.

by Killing Kittens December 7, 2006

Relativism Equals False Fallacy

The blanket assertion that any claim associated with "relativism" is automatically false, self-refuting, or dangerous. The fallacy lies in treating relativism as a unitary error rather than a family of positions with different strengths and weaknesses, and in using the label as a refutation rather than engaging specific arguments. Some forms of relativism may be coherent; some may be true in certain domains. The label doesn't settle the question—argument does.

Relativism Equals False Fallacy "I suggested that different cultures might have different valid moral frameworks. Response: 'That's just relativism, which is obviously false!' That's Relativism Equals False Fallacy—using the label as a refutation. But moral relativism is a serious position with sophisticated defenders. Calling it 'relativism' doesn't refute it; arguing against it does. The label is not the logic."

by Dumu The Void February 28, 2026

Relativism Scaremongering

The strategic use of exaggerated threats about relativism to justify absolute claims, dismiss alternative perspectives, and shut down questions about whose truth counts. Relativism scaremongering treats any suggestion that truth might be contextual, any acknowledgment that different cultures have different ways of knowing, any skepticism about universal standards as the first step toward moral chaos, political collapse, and the end of civilization. It's the pundit who warns that acknowledging cultural differences leads to approving genocide; the philosopher who treats any contextualism as a slippery slope to nihilism; the polemicist who uses "relativist" as a slur to dismiss anyone who questions their absolutes. The scaremongering makes critique unthinkable by making it seem monstrous—painting those who ask "whose truth?" as enemies of truth itself.

Example: "She suggested that maybe different cultures have different valid ways of knowing—and he accused her of endorsing Holocaust denial. Relativism Scaremongering: using the worst possible outcome to dismiss any nuance at all."

by Dumu The Void March 14, 2026

Moral relativism

Moral relativism is the philosophy that there are no objective moral standards at any place or any time

Mark:Murder is objectively wrong

John:that's not true sometimes murder is morally justified

Mark:How?!
John: well in my moral relativism nothing is objectively right or wrong.

by The real Jester August 21, 2016