Relativism is the belief that the truth is not always the same but varies according to circumstances.
Traditionalists may howl, but in today's world, cultural relativism rules.
Bennett launched a crusade for 'moral values' against decadent 'liberal relativism.'
relativism in British English
(ˈrɛlətɪˌvɪzəm)
noun
any theory holding that truth or moral or aesthetic value, etc, is not universal or absolute but may differ between individuals or cultures
See also historicism
Derived forms
relativist (ˈrelativist)
noun, adjective
relativism in American English
(ˈrɛlətɪvˌɪzəm)
noun
Philosophy
any theory of ethics or knowledge based on the idea that all values or judgments are relative, differing according to circumstances, persons, cultures, etc.
Derived forms
relativist (ˈrelativist)
noun
relativistic (ˌrelativˈistic)
adjective
Examples of 'relativism' in a sentence
relativism
The question remains whether one should reject the concept of pluralism which reflects moral and ethical relativism.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
This highlights the need to understand the difference between cultural relativism and ethnically sensitive practice.
Langan, Mary (ed) Taking Child Abuse Seriously: Contemporary issues in child protection theory andpractice (1990)
This was my first lesson in moral relativism.
Richard Fortey THE EARTH: An Intimate History (2004)
This extreme cultural relativism allows no preference for one form of society over another.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
Their bedtime exchanges are some of the most beautiful examples of cultural relativism recorded.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
But moral relativism is the death knell of a civilisation.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
More little gems from that treasure chest of cultural relativism.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Are we truly content to embrace moral relativism so casually?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It is often extremely difficult to embrace cultural relativism fully.
Appelbaum, Richard P. Sociology (1995)
Those who disagree are misled either by a warped view of history or a pernicious form of moral relativism.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It is precisely that cultural relativism informing the comparative approach that now provides the unspoken credo of contemporary society.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
Sometimes they affirm absolute relativism, a contradiction in terms.
Christianity Today (2000)
The moral relativism of the 1960s radicals was wrong.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It's cultural relativism in a nutshell!
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
At school, cultural relativism got the upper hand over universal values.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There is too much moral relativism across the board from the champions of liberal democracy, she feels.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This movement for cultural relativism within Western society betrays the basic values on which our open society is constructed.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He firmly rejects any suggestion that the existence of conflicting moral judgements implies moral relativism and undermines the status and universal scope of moral judgements.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
It has given rise to moral and cultural relativism, or the notion that there can be no hierarchy of values.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
And there is a tinge of moral relativism in the world expressed by those who say: he is imposing his values.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Cultural relativism played no part in the defence arguments, but it is one of the two major themes of the book.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
So how does this square with a willingness to tackle moral relativism and the government's foreign policy priority of promoting religious freedom?
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
One of the effortless abilities of the human tapestry that is TV is cultural relativism.