I work with students, and lately I've heard them talking about things being relative. There is no "absolute truth". "Yes, I can see the wall of that building, but it may or may not actually be there." Have we moved away from actual logic and gone toward feelings? Is there something which is absolutely true? Is the philosophy of relativism creating stupid human beings who cannot think about anything concretely?
2006-10-22 10:04:35 · 14 answers · asked by Bridget 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
YES. The philosophy of relativism is contributing to a large group of stupid humans who cannot think concretely.
Perception is NOT reality, however, reality is so colored and clouded by perception that for many, perception becomes the standard by which they define their reality. The wall may or may not exist (although if you bang your head against it and the result is a headache, the likelihood is that it does), but if everyone agrees that it does, it is irrelevent if it doesn't, because it is perceived to be concrete. So the real question is, is questioning that which it believed to be concrete a display of genius or stupidity?
2006-10-22 10:15:53 · answer #1 · answered by BecuzIlove 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"Yes, I can see the wall of that building, but it may or may not actually be there."
That's not as bad as it sounds. That's a material (young scientific) mind speaking!
1 + 1 = 2 by mathematical definition.
The wall is a perception problem.
These are apples and oranges.
The wall could be an hallucination, a hologram, etc. It's right for them to question the wall's existence until it is measured. If it can't be objectively measured, it doesn't exist.
It seems they're just a half-step away from concrete thinking. Ask them how they would prove or disprove the existence of the wall.
2006-10-22 17:37:35 · answer #2 · answered by ideogenetic 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If I say, Truth exists, someone could say, Truth does not exist, because it is just a word. But a wise discretion knows that what I mean by the phrase, Truth exists, is that there can be a concrete defition of truth through the medium of language. Perhaps your students are losing faith in the standards of communication. They express themselves truthfully when they talk to their friends, but they deny the linguistics and logics of study when attempting to decipher what it is that their teacher wants from them. We live in an age of boundless thinking inside our own private realms. We are becoming less intelligent but more profound within our own wants and desires. For good or for ill.
2006-10-22 17:27:20 · answer #3 · answered by Julian 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Relativism is an obscurantist bullshit. Civilization rose up because people think rationaly how to reach valid knowledge, how to do things works etc.
Relativists are hypocrites. They say all belives are valids, but when they are sick, they look for medicals and medicin, not for shamans or voodo priests. They also hope that if they are being judged, they wouldn't be considerated guilty just by just by circumstantial proofs.
Relativism is just lazy-thinking. They know all the problems of naive realism, but they prefer accept these problems than resolving them.
2006-10-22 20:03:50 · answer #4 · answered by Dante 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only thing that your students are doing is thinking out side of the box, everything is relative until you make it other wise by your thinking. your students are becoming full blown creaters by paying attention to their feelings, I would encourage that if I was in your position. There is nothing more concrete than your feelings, they are reliable. dependable and very accurate. and stupid humans is also relative ( Judge in comparison )
2006-10-22 17:52:49 · answer #5 · answered by bonnie f 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, since they teach you .9 plus .9 = 1.8 and 1 + 1 = 2, when you get to higher levels and they teach you that infact .9999999999999... 9s go on for ever actually =1 so whats to say that 1 is actually different from .9999999... in this whats to say that 1 is 1 and not 2? so does 1 + 1 = 4?
2006-10-22 17:14:08 · answer #6 · answered by morfusaf 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there are many different types of algebra for example clock algebra. So depending on the system you use 1+1 can equal other numbers than 2
for example 10+3 in clock arithmatic = 1
2006-10-22 17:12:18 · answer #7 · answered by Amanda 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are students. They have not come to the understanding of what relativistic philosophy is really all about. Of course there is the concrete and physical that matter in our world. Its all about relationship.
2006-10-22 17:11:39 · answer #8 · answered by Sophist 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Whoever denies the existence of truth does so in the NAME of Truth"...That is, "Truth does not exist" is true. This is a contradiction, and therefore a nothing, a meaningless statement. Whoever speaks or says anything presupposes that what he says is true. Truth is the presupposition to all speech.
"it's all relative" is saying that even the statement "it's all relative" is relalative, and therefore not true.
2006-10-22 18:08:58 · answer #9 · answered by Heidegger 11 30 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i dont really know what you are talking about but i can tell you for sure that 1+1 is infact = to 2. see, i did learn something from school.
2006-10-22 19:33:34 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋