“A survey of relativist ideas in all areas of philosophy, by an impressive line-up of contributors well-versed in the debates behind their current revival.”
―François Recanati, Institut Jean-Nicod, Paris
“Himself a substantial contributor to the area, Steve Hales has now put together an excellent companion for those who wish to enter it. The topography is highly varied, and this resource maps it all with high definition.”
―Ernest Sosa, Rutgers University
“A survey of relativist ideas in all areas of philosophy, by an impressive line-up of contributors well-versed in the debates behind their current revival.”
François Recanati, Institut Jean-Nicod, Paris
“Himself a substantial contributor to the area, Steven Hales has now put together an excellent companion for those who wish to enter it. The topography is highly varied, and this resource maps it all with high definition.”
Ernest Sosa, Rutgers University
Relativism is one of philosophy’s oldest and most polarizing concepts. It has captivated thinkers since the days of Protagoras (who supported the notion) and Plato (who did not). Relativism is assailed by popes as leading people away from absolute religious truths, and blamed by social commentators for many of society’s ills. With a few notable exceptions, twentieth-century philosophers grew to dismiss relativism as an obviously mistaken or even self-refuting concept.
But in the past decade, even its staunchest philosophical critics have come to realize that relativism is a legitimate option for explaining a variety of phenomena, including faultless disagreement, the utility of alternative logics, varieties of cross-cultural moralities, and differing ontological conceptual schemes. Reflecting this overdue reappraisal, A Companion to Relativism presents the latest thinking on the role of relativism in the philosophy of language, epistemology, ethics, philosophy of science, logic, and metaphysics. Original contributions to this volume feature cutting-edge thinking from a variety of eminent scholars who approach relativism from various perspectives and philosophical subfields.
From the Back Cover
“A survey of relativist ideas in all areas of philosophy, by an impressive line-up of contributors well-versed in the debates behind their current revival.”
François Recanati, Institut Jean-Nicod, Paris
“Himself a substantial contributor to the area, Steven Hales has now put together an excellent companion for those who wish to enter it. The topography is highly varied, and this resource maps it all with high definition.”
Ernest Sosa, Rutgers University
Relativism is one of philosophy’s oldest and most polarizing concepts. It has captivated thinkers since the days of Protagoras (who supported the notion) and Plato (who did not). Relativism is assailed by popes as leading people away from absolute religious truths, and blamed by social commentators for many of society’s ills. With a few notable exceptions, twentieth-century philosophers grew to dismiss relativism as an obviously mistaken or even self-refuting concept.
But in the past decade, even its staunchest philosophical critics have come to realize that relativism is a legitimate option for explaining a variety of phenomena, including faultless disagreement, the utility of alternative logics, varieties of cross-cultural moralities, and differing ontological conceptual schemes. Reflecting this overdue reappraisal, A Companion to Relativism presents the latest thinking on the role of relativism in the philosophy of language, epistemology, ethics, philosophy of science, logic, and metaphysics. Original contributions to this volume feature cutting-edge thinking from a variety of eminent scholars who approach relativism from various perspectives and philosophical subfields.
About the Author
Steven D. Hales is Professor and Chair of Philosophy at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Relativism and the Foundations of Philosophy and co-author of Nietzsche’s Perspectivism, as well as numerous articles on relativism. His most recent book is The Myth of Luck: Philosophy, Fate, and Fortune. He has been a visiting professor at the universities of Cambridge, Turin, Edinburgh, and London.
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