Relativism is here and taking the world by storm. Some are calling it the greatest problem of our time and others the new dictatorship. This simple philosophy has been growing and has many followers throughout the world.
Relativism is the idea that there is no universal absolute (unchanging) truth, but that truth differs from person to person and culture to culture. People are living according to this philosophy of relativism, which is a lie.
Let’s begin by disproving relativism. One of the integral doctrines of relativism is that it is true for everyone that nothing is absolutely true for everyone. This claim contradicts itself because if it’s true for everyone that nothing is true, then the statement “Nothing is true for everyone” is not true for everyone.
Relativists believe that there are no right or wrong moral choices, but that right and wrong are relative to the person. You would be hard pressed to find someone to say, “It was right for that man to murder his child, so who are we to judge his action?” Or say that there are two groups of architects designing a bridge. If the first group of architects base their truth off of 2+2=4 and the second group bases their truth off 2+2=5, then who is correct? In the eyes of relativism, both groups of architects are correct because of the mentality, “I don’t want to impose my beliefs on them.” While those are extreme examples, they show the true dangers of relativism.
The list of negative effects for relativism is almost endless because it leaves us with no guidelines for making moral decisions, but instead leaves us with deciding what we want.
Now more than ever, we need to become seekers of the truth in order to combat the culture of relativism. To do this one must be open to all viewpoints and care about finding the truth. One way to begin could be as simple as changing the way you watch the news. Most people watch “Affirmation news,” where you “affirm” your pre-known political views. For example, if you are a conservative you typically watch conservative news, which is affirming your view and if you are a liberal you typically do the same. The main point is to listen to both sides and then compare the two.
Searching for the truth also entails some work on our part. This is because the truth will not always be at the top of Google search results and oftentimes requires an in-depth investigation. Why should we take the time to search for the truth? We should search for the truth because deep down whether we sense it or not, we are yearning for it. Once we discover that desire, it will soon begin to fill our daily life. Before we know it, when we hear one viewpoint on a topic we will soon be searching for the other viewpoints. How do you know if you have found the one truth? Truth will tell us the way things are in a trustworthy and reliable manner, in accordance with reality and always be for the good of your neighbor, country and mankind.
Today it seems that some of us are drowning in an ocean of apathy. I’ll be the first to admit that oftentimes I have failed to search for the opposing viewpoints due to indifference. When we take the time to listen and see the “big picture” it helps all of us to understand where we are coming from and helps us to seek the truth in community with others.
I challenge you to think independently and see where relativism may be at work in your life, so that we may be aware of it and share its dangers with the world. Find the one truth; don’t accept everyone’s relative truth, by finding the source and listening to the whole story in context.
The end goal is for us to become seekers of the absolute truth.
