relaxivism

relaxivism

re-lax-iv-ism

n. Relaxivism is the use of reason and logic to calm a fellow citizen who has become alarmed or agitated by prophecies put forward by special interest groups. Relaxivism strives to remove hysteria and emotion from debates and to replace it with rationality and skepticism.

Professor Brown, a leading relaxivist researcher, is teaching a course in relaxivism to help students control their stress responses to those issues discussed in the mainstream public narrative that use stridency and buzzwords but which are are short on empirical evidence.

by Beliaik February 5, 2017

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

moral relativist

A moral relativist is one with a snarky attitude and bloated sense of self-importance. They can be found loitering about college campus' for years on end in multiple graduate school programs. If you are unfortunate to have one in your freshman philosophy class they will ask "questions" that are not so carefully disguised claims of superiority over the professor and all other students. Often known to despise organized religion and wear anti-religious bigotry on his/her sleeve, while displaying outrage at all other forms of bigotry. They become loud and angry if you point out that such outrage ironically hinges on moral absolutism.

- There is no right and wrong, there is only perception of right and wrong.
- Is that so? Well you won't mind if I do this.
::smacks moral relativist in the mouth::
- OW! Why did you do that?
- I perceived it as the right thing to do during this conversation.

by Jan OLeary May 3, 2010

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

Relativism Derangement Syndrome

An irrational, obsessive fear of relativism in any form, where the mere suggestion that truth or morality might be context‑dependent triggers accusations of nihilism, sophistry, and intellectual cowardice. Sufferers cannot distinguish between descriptive relativism (different cultures have different norms), meta‑ethical relativism (there is no universal moral standard), and normative relativism (we should tolerate difference). Any nuance collapses into a binary: absolute universal truth or utter chaos. The syndrome often manifests as a refusal to examine one’s own cultural assumptions, projecting the fear of groundlessness onto others.

Example: “He heard ‘different cultures have different concepts of health’ and immediately shouted ‘so you think anything goes?’ Relativism Derangement Syndrome, unable to hear description as anything but endorsement.”

by Dumu The Void April 4, 2026