Relativism / Paul O'Grady.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

O'Grady, Paul, 1964- author.

Series:

Central problems of philosophy.

Central problems of philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Relativity.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 196 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Durham : Acumen Publishing, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The issue of relativism looms large in many contemporary discussions of knowledge, reality, society, religion, culture and gender. Is truth relative? To what extent is knowledge dependent on context? Are there different logics? Do different cultures and societies see the world differently? Is reality itself something that is constructed? This book offers a path through these debates. O'Grady begins by clarifying what exactly relativism is and how it differs from scepticism and pluralism. He then examines five main types of cognitive relativism: alethic relativism, logical relativism, ontological relativism; epistemological relativism, and relativism about rationality. Each is clearly distinguished and the arguments for and against each are assessed. O'Grady offers a welcome survey of recent debates, engaging with the work of Davidson, Devitt, Kuhn, Putnam, Quine, Rorty, Searle, Winch and Wittgenstein, among others, and he offers a distinct position of his own on this hotly contested issue.

Contents:

Cover; Half Title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Preface; 1 Introduction to relativism; 2 Truth and logic; 3 Ontological relativism; 4 Epistemological relativism; 5 Relativism about rationality; 6 Evaluating relativism; Guide to further reading; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 02 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

ISBN:

1-317-48982-9

1-315-71073-0

1-317-48983-7

9786611847302

1-84465-329-3

1-281-84730-5

9781315710730

OCLC:

898771439