The view that all knowledge, concepts, and truths are constructed by the mind and are relative to the individual's or culture's perspective, framework, or conceptual scheme. There is no neutral, framework-independent way to check if our concepts "match" reality; we're always interpreting through a lens. Different frameworks create different, equally valid, cognitive realities.
Example: The concept of "justice." Cognitive relativism would argue there's no universal, mind-independent essence of justice. One culture's justice (restorative, community-based) is a fundamentally different cognitive construction than another's (retributive, individual-based). Neither is more "real"; they are products of different historical and social frameworks. Two people witnessing the same event (e.g., a political protest) will cognitively construct different events based on their pre-existing schemas.
by Abzugal January 24, 2026
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