Relativism and anthropologism are one of the basic principles of philosophy. Despite the fact that these principles were justified relatively recently, they appeared with the advent of the first civilizations. These trends were especially developed in ancient Greece, in particular, sophists dealt with these issues.
Relativism
Relativism in philosophy is a principle according to which everything in life has a relative character and depends on circumstances and point of view. The principle emphasizes the connection of various objects with their subjective characteristics and properties. According to this, since all objects have subjective characteristics, their reliability lends itself to criticism and almost all objects can be presented as unreliable and erroneous. For example, if a person is told: “Give examples of the philosophy of relativism”, then this can be illustrated with the following sentence: Leo kills his victim. This proposal is subjective, because, depending on different situations, it can be positive and negative. If the victim is an antelope, then this is normal, because such are the laws of the animal world, however if the victim is a human being, then the proposal becomes negative. This is the basis of relativism.
Depending on how you look at this situation, it can be good or bad, true or false, reliable or unreliable. This leads to the fact that many philosophers consider relativism as a disease of modern philosophy.
Relativism and anthropologism of sophists
Sophists in ancient Greece called people who were completely dedicated to mental activity. Traditionally, sophists were philosophers, as well as those who studied politics, oratory, law, etc. The most famous sophists of that time were Solon, Pythagoras, Socrates, Protagoras, Prodicus, Hippias and others. Anthropology, subjectivity and relativism of the philosophy of the sophists became the basis for almost all modern philosophical trends.
One of the main features of the sophists was that in the center of their teachings they always put man first. Anthropocentrism was undoubtedly the basis of their teachings, since they believed that any object is to some degree connected with a person.
Another important feature of the sophists was the subjectivity and relativity of any knowledge, because, as the scientists of that time claimed, any knowledge, concept or assessment can be questioned if you look at it from the other side. Examples of the philosophy of relativism can be found in almost all sophists. This is perfectly illustrated by the famous phrase of Protagoras: “Man is the measure of all things, ” since it depends on how the person evaluates the situation, and how it is perceived by him. Socrates considered the relativity of morality and ethics, Parmenides was interested in the process of evaluating things, and Protagoras put forward the idea that everything in this world is evaluated through the prism of the interests and goals of a particular person. Anthropologism and relativism of the philosophy of sophists found their development in subsequent historical eras.
The development of relativism at different stages of history
For the first time, the principle of relativism is formed in ancient Greece, in particular, by the efforts of sophists. Later this principle also passes into skepticism, according to which all knowledge is subjective, since it is considered depending on the historical conditions of the formation of the cognitive process. According to this, any knowledge is unreliable in itself.
The principle of relativism was also used in the 16-17th centuries as a basis for criticizing dogmatism. In particular, Erasmus of Rotterdam, Beil, Montaigne and others were engaged in this. Relativism was also used as the basis of idealistic empiricism, and was also the basis for metaphysics. Over time, other examples of the philosophy of relativism appeared, which became separate directions.
Epistemological relativism
Gnoseology, or cognition, is the basis of relativism. Epistemological relativism in philosophy is a complete rejection of the idea that knowledge can grow and develop. The process of cognition is described as one that completely depends on certain conditions: the biological needs of a person, mental and psychological state, the availability of theoretical means, the logical form used, etc.
Relativists see the fact of the development of cognition at each stage as the main evidence of its inaccuracy and unreliability, since knowledge cannot change and grow, it must be unambiguous and stable. This leads to a denial of the possibility of objectivity in general, as well as to complete agnosticism.
Physical relativism
The principle of relativism has found scope not only in philosophy and the humanities and social sciences, but also in physics and quantum mechanics. In this case, the principle is that there is a need to rethink all the concepts of classical mechanics, including time, mass, matter, space, etc.
As part of the interpretation of this principle, Einstein introduced the term “observer, ” which describes someone who works with certain subjective elements. In this case, the process of cognition of a given object and interpretation of reality depends on the subjective representations of the observer.
Aesthetic Relativism
Aesthetic relativism in philosophy is a principle that first appeared in the Middle Ages. Vitelon paid particular attention to this. In his works, he was interested in the concept of beauty from a psychological point of view. He argued that the concept of beauty is very variable on the one hand, and on the other hand has some stability. For example, he argued that the Moors prefer some colors, while the Scandinavians are completely different. He believed that this depends on upbringing, on habits and on the environment in which a person grew up.
In his reasoning, Vitelon came to relativism, since he believed that the beautiful is relative. What is beautiful for some is not so for others, and there are certain subjective reasons for this. In addition, what one person considers beautiful, over time, he can see terrible. The basis for this can serve a variety of situations and positions.
Moral (ethical) relativism
Moral relativism in philosophy is a principle according to which good or evil in its absolute form does not exist in principle. This principle denies any moral standards or the existence of any criteria regarding what morality is. Some philosophers see the principle of moral relativism as permissiveness, while others see it as a convention of interpreting good and evil. Ethical relativism in philosophy is a principle that shows conditional moral norms according to the concepts of good and evil. According to this, at different times, under different circumstances and in different places, the same concepts of morality can not only not coincide, but can also be completely opposite to each other. Any morality is relative due to the fact that relatively good and evil are relative.
Cultural relativism
Cultural relativism in philosophy is a principle which consists in the fact that any systems of cultural evaluations are denied in general, and all cultures are considered absolutely equal. This direction was laid by Fran Boas. As an example, the author uses American and European cultures, which impose their principles and their morality on other countries.
Cultural relativism in philosophy is a principle that considers such categories as monogamy and polygamy, social prestige, gender roles, traditions, patterns of behavior, etc. Cultural traits depend on the place of residence, religion, and other factors. All cultural concepts can be considered both from the side of the person who grew up in this culture, and from the side of the person who was brought up in another culture. The views on the same culture seem to be the opposite. At the same time, anthropologism plays a large role, since in the center of any culture, first of all, is a person.
Anthropologism
Anthropologism is the principle of philosophy, which considers the concept of "man" as the main category. People are the center of such categories as being, culture, society, society, nature, etc. The principle of anthropologism appeared in the first civilizations, but it reached its peak in the 18-21 centuries.
In modern philosophy, anthropologism attempts to affirm the unity of the scientific and philosophical approach regarding the concept of "man." Anthropologism is present in almost all modern sciences that explore various aspects of man. This concept is especially widely considered in philosophical anthropologism, which is trying to fully cover the concept of "man."
Anthropocentrism - the basis of anthropologism
The basis of anthropologism is anthropocentrism, according to which a person is the center of everything. In contrast to anthropologism, which most often explores the biological essence of man, anthropocentrism is interested in its social nature.
According to anthropocentrism, man is the basis of any philosophical research. Many researchers even consider the very concept of philosophy as a search and understanding by people of their being and existence. Thus, it is through the nature of man, his essence and purpose that one can identify almost all philosophical problems that arise in any historical era.
