Motivations for Relativism as a Solution to Disagreements

Philosophy 89 (1):63-82 (2014)
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Abstract

There are five basic ways to resolve disagreements: keep arguing until capitulation, compromise, locate an ambiguity or contextual factors, accept Pyrrhonian skepticism, and adopt relativism. Relativism is perhaps the most radical and least popular solution to a disagreement, and its defenders generally think the best motivator for relativism is to be found in disputes over predicates of personal taste. I argue that taste predicates do not adequately motivate relativism over the other possible solutions, and argue that relativism looks like the most promising approach when disputants cannot even agree on the meta-evidence for a contested proposition

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Steven Hales
Bloomsburg University

Citations of this work

Disagreement.Jonathan Matheson & Bryan Frances - 2018 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Relativism.Maria Baghramian & Adam J. Carter - 2020 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Logical Disagreement.Frederik J. Andersen - 2024 - Dissertation, University of St. Andrews
The fundamental model of deep disagreements.Victoria Lavorerio - 2021 - Metaphilosophy 52 (3-4):416-431.

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References found in this work

Relativism and disagreement.John MacFarlane - 2007 - Philosophical Studies 132 (1):17-31.
Faultless Disagreement.Max Kolbel - 2004 - Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 104 (1):53-73.
Philosophy of Mind.Jaegwon Kim - 1996 - Philosophy 72 (280):317-320.
Three Kinds of Relativism.Paul Boghossian - 2010 - In Steven D. Hales, A Companion to Relativism. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 53–69.
Intuitionism, Realism, Relativism and Rhubarb.Crispin Wright - 2006 - In Patrick Greenough & Michael Patrick Lynch, Truth and realism. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 38--60.

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