Philosophy: Beginners Philosophy

What counts as the truth, which moral values people should follow and how societies should be organised varies between individuals, cultures and historical periods. You often hear and read statements of this kind in public debates, everyday conversations and on social media – if for example someone says, “This is my truth”. These statements have also been examined in Philosophy, where they are known as ‘relativism’ because they assert that knowledge and morality are relative not absolute. The statements say that different and conflicting views on knowledge, morality and political principles are a fact of life – that such diversity cannot be reduced to one truth or morality or set of principles. Relativist arguments often also say that diverse (and conflicting) ideas and ways of life should be celebrated because they allow individuals and cultures to follow what is right for them rather than having it imposed on them and because they make societies more vibrant and worth living in. The course will cover different forms of relativism - relativism about concepts and knowledge, cultural relativism, moral relativism, political pluralism, scepticism and postmodernism. If these terms don’t mean anything to you now, don’t worry. You are not expected to understand them at the beginning of the course and full explanations of the terminology will be provided. Part of learning about a new subject is learning the language used there. The different forms of relativism deal with a range of topics including gender, how people should be treated (for example that slavery was considered morally defensible but is generally not now), that scientific procedures change over time, or that different lifestyles are right for different people.