If everything is relative, then that everything is relative, is also relative. Is global relativism dead?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1689-4286.47.02

Keywords:

Plato, Protagoras, relativism, self-refutation

Abstract

Global relativism, with its claim that everything is relative, is one of the most harshly criticized concepts in the history of philosophy. The strongest argument against it has been the argument from self-refutation ascribed originally to Plato. The paper presents strong and weak version of the argument in order to show the one that is best suited for the way of reasoning characteristic to the antique period and so that it shows that Plato’s argument against global relativism ought to be treated rather in dialectical than logical way. Consequently, it weakens the power of argument formulated in Plato’s Thaetetus and confutes the widely spread interpretation of it.

References

Burnyeat M. (1976). Protagoras and Self-Refutation in Plato’s Theaetetus. Philosophical Review, 85 (2),172-195. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2183729

Castagnoli L. (2010). Ancient Self-refutation. The logic and History of the Self-Refutation Argument from Democritus to Augustine. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Chmielewski A. (1998). Relatywizm protagorejski. Nowa Krytyka, 9, 5-30.

Goodman N. (1978). Ways of Worldmaking. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350928558

Kant I. (2004). Krytyka władzy sądzenia. Warszawa: PWN.

Kölbel M. (2011). Global Relativism and Self-Refutation. W: S. Hales (ed.), A Companion to Relativism (11-30). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444392494.ch1

Mackie J. L. (1964). Self-refutation: a formal analysis. The Philosophical Quarterly, 14/56, 193-203. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2955461

Platon. (2002). Teajtet. Kęty: ANTYK.

Platon. (2002). Protagoras. Kęty: ANTYK.

Putnam H. (1998). Reason, Truth and History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Thorsrud H. (2012). Ancient Self-Refutation: The logic and History of the Self-Refutation Argument from Democritus to Augustine by Luca Castagnoli, Phoenix, 66/1-2, 188-190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/phx.2012.0051

Ziemińska R. (2011). Samorefutacja i starożytny sceptycyzm. Filozofia Nauki, 19/3, 151-159.

Downloads

Published

2019-12-30

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Pietraszek, Marta. 2019. “If Everything Is Relative, Then That Everything Is Relative, Is Also Relative. Is Global Relativism Dead?”. Hybris 47 (4): 22-35. https://doi.org/10.18778/1689-4286.47.02.