when did you give up relativism?

Question

yeah, every college freshman i've ever met (including myself) can see nothing but relativistic answers to questions about ethics and philosophy, and I gave up this point of view about three years ago or so...

but my question is this:
when did you see that this is not a fruitful manner of approach to philosophy and 'hang it up'??

if you have not hung it up, please say how long you've held relativistic views about ethics or other philosophical issues and explain how you maintain your relativism in the face of living in the world that will really punch you in the face if you ask it to - or whatever basic "living" problem you might come up with.

david hume talked about not being sure about anything, but needing to live in the 'real' world... whatever its nature...

so when did you give it up?

if you haven't yet given it up, please say why? part of my problem with relativism is that it refutes itself -- that holding the position is itself a committment.
the other major problem is that if i am living by relativistic beliefs i could never decide to do anything. i could never act except on what would seem to me to be random circumstances, which is an impossibility --- given my ability to consider things and give shape to situations (whether or not the situations start with random variables, i am still giving them a certain shape by thinking of them at all)...
i mention david hume to make the point that we have to live *somehow*, so it's impossible to *maintain* relativistic beliefs for anything other than theoretical whimsy...

if you maintain a relativist position, consider each of my two major problems with it and please also add how long you have held these views, ethically or otherwise philosophically...

Answer 1

If everything is "realtive" then there is no right and wrong. That is an easy way to look at things when you still lack responsibility to others.

When most people get their heads out of the clouds (of pot smoke) and get beyond the indoctrinational teachings of their professors, they realize that there IS good and evil, right and wrong, good and bad. If there were no boundaries between these ideas, civilized society would cease to exist.

Answer 2

I totally agree with Sophist. I haven't given it up yet, and lord knows I'm not a freshmen anymore (wish I were)

I get yelled at often for citing relativist positions on many of facets of life. Most because it complicates an issue when people want a simple answer which would lead to a clear course of action which that often desire to take.

There are simply too many variables in life to take absolute views in my opinion. Like the saying goes, there's an exception to every rule. And I don't want those I care about nor myself to be caught blindsided by one of those exceptions.

Answer 3

I never gave it up because I never was a relativist.

Relativism is an effect to the contingencies of reality. The religious/enlightenment react by a temptation of false hope. The relativist reacts to the contingencies by forming a cynicism toward reality and spurns reason. Both believe that their own general approach is superior than the other.

Answer 4

I haven't given it up and won't because it is true. There is always more than one side to an issue. It is always your POV.
Good and evil are and will always be two sides of the same coin. Only when you have located each person's POV will you begin to understand the terrain.

Answer 5

i don't know man.