Truth and Elephants
The statement all truth is relative is one that Christian apologists love to attack. The way that some people talk about it, it seems like they think that all intellectuals believe that truth is relative and that that is one reason people don't believe in God. There are so many apologist seminars out there about truth.
I think that this is what we call a strawman argument--an argument against something that no one actually believes. I think that, if you really look closely, most people believe that there are both relative and absolute truths. Our differences lay in which truths we think are relative or absolute, and perhaps whether it is possible to know the absolute truth. Let me explain.
A relative truth is something that is true in one context, but not another. For example, if I say that spaghetti bolognese tastes good, that is generally true for me, because I love spaghetti. But it's not true if the spaghetti got burnt, and it's not true for someone who hates the taste of tomatoes. Or if I say that elephants are big, that is true if we're talking about animals in general, but it is not true if I'm talking about planets (compared to which elephants are minuscule), or about a particular runty baby elephant.
An absolute truth is something that is true in all contexts. For example, I am sure we can all agree that there are no square circles is an absolute truth. In fact, the statement all truth is relative is itself stated as an absolute truth, and so it is self-contradictory and cannot be true. Philosophers know this.
Let me put it another way.
There is this famous fable where a bunch of blind men are feeling an elephant, trying to figure out what it is.
The one at the trunk says, "It is long and flexible, and thicker than my arm."
The one at the leg says, "No it is not! It is like a tree trunk, solid and thick."
The one at the tail says, "No, the first guy was right--it's flexible and long, but it is thin like a pencil, with a tuft of hair at the end."
The one at the ear says, "You are all crazy, it is flat and wide!"
All of the blind men are telling the truth--but they are relative truths. Each man's experience doesn't negate the others. But they are stumbling around in the dark, and missing the big picture--that it's an elephant.
In this story, the blind men were all right, to a certain extent. But that isn't always the case. The earth cannot simultaneously be round for me and flat for someone else. It is either one or the other.
A true fact is still true even if you don't perceive it.
Christian apologists are so focused on discussing relative and absolute truths--if you google "truth is relative," over half of the hits on the first page are Christian sources, although some are disguised as philosophy.
I think when you live in a Christian bubble (or any bubble), it is really easy to caricature and oversimplify the thoughts and beliefs of the "other." But it's not doing anyone any favours. If you aren't discussing what people actually believe, you aren't going to have a productive conversation. Plus, it kind of makes us look bad. Especially if you're sarcastic or dismissive.
P.S. Note that some people do believe in relativism. It's just that relativism isn't the belief that all truth is relative. There is more than one kind of relativism, and they are more nuanced than that. See here for more details.
I think that this is what we call a strawman argument--an argument against something that no one actually believes. I think that, if you really look closely, most people believe that there are both relative and absolute truths. Our differences lay in which truths we think are relative or absolute, and perhaps whether it is possible to know the absolute truth. Let me explain.
A relative truth is something that is true in one context, but not another. For example, if I say that spaghetti bolognese tastes good, that is generally true for me, because I love spaghetti. But it's not true if the spaghetti got burnt, and it's not true for someone who hates the taste of tomatoes. Or if I say that elephants are big, that is true if we're talking about animals in general, but it is not true if I'm talking about planets (compared to which elephants are minuscule), or about a particular runty baby elephant.
An absolute truth is something that is true in all contexts. For example, I am sure we can all agree that there are no square circles is an absolute truth. In fact, the statement all truth is relative is itself stated as an absolute truth, and so it is self-contradictory and cannot be true. Philosophers know this.
Let me put it another way.
There is this famous fable where a bunch of blind men are feeling an elephant, trying to figure out what it is.
The one at the trunk says, "It is long and flexible, and thicker than my arm."
The one at the leg says, "No it is not! It is like a tree trunk, solid and thick."
The one at the tail says, "No, the first guy was right--it's flexible and long, but it is thin like a pencil, with a tuft of hair at the end."
The one at the ear says, "You are all crazy, it is flat and wide!"
All of the blind men are telling the truth--but they are relative truths. Each man's experience doesn't negate the others. But they are stumbling around in the dark, and missing the big picture--that it's an elephant.
In this story, the blind men were all right, to a certain extent. But that isn't always the case. The earth cannot simultaneously be round for me and flat for someone else. It is either one or the other.
A true fact is still true even if you don't perceive it.
Christian apologists are so focused on discussing relative and absolute truths--if you google "truth is relative," over half of the hits on the first page are Christian sources, although some are disguised as philosophy.
I think when you live in a Christian bubble (or any bubble), it is really easy to caricature and oversimplify the thoughts and beliefs of the "other." But it's not doing anyone any favours. If you aren't discussing what people actually believe, you aren't going to have a productive conversation. Plus, it kind of makes us look bad. Especially if you're sarcastic or dismissive.
P.S. Note that some people do believe in relativism. It's just that relativism isn't the belief that all truth is relative. There is more than one kind of relativism, and they are more nuanced than that. See here for more details.
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