The Philosophy of Relativism

Humanity has its origins in the State of Nature. This means, according to English political philosopher Thomas Hobbes, the "War of All Against All" [1]. This refers to competition between individuals in order to acquire those resources necessary to survive and reproduce. In his book, The Social Contract [2], Jean-Jacques Rousseau goes into detail as to why mankind organized itself into societies. Unlike any other species on the planet, the human species cognitively took one another's terms and each gave ground. Essentially, Natural Rights, such as that of murder and rape, were surrendered in exchange for security. This theory is called Contractionarianism [3]. The issue comes as this: there is no singular first Society. Uruk is now considered to be the first city in human history [4]. However, the Sumerians considered the first city to be Eridu, while the Greeks claimed Athens was first of human cities. There are also the various European, Asian, and African civilizations, as well as those ones in the Americas. These various societies, from the Germanics in the North to the Sumerians in what is now the Middle East to those early Indus civilizations, had vastly different moral codes. For example, the Greeks prized philosophy and learning, while the Germans measured a man by his martial skills. This can be seen in the deities of these two religions, which are extremely similar. The Aesir and the Vanir (the Germanic deities) are all very militant and warlike. The Olympians, although some are warlike, others are deep thinkers whilst more are craftmen and lovers. The Norse Goddess Freya is the Goddess of Love and War, whilst the Greeks kept these two traits separate in their Goddesses. Aphrodite is Love and Athena is Philosophy and War. These two cultures certainly had very little to agree on. Should we then say that one is better than the other? And if so, which is what the Absolutist would do, which one should we privilege as more important? The Greeks, who were so busy philosophizing they could not resist their Roman conquerors? Or the Germans, who conquered those Romans?Expanding our view, we can compare the philosophy of the Athenians and their egalitarian democracy to that of Chinese Confucianism. All citizens in Athens were guaranteed a voice in Athens, while Confucius argued for a strict hierarchy. Absolutism tells us that only one or the other is true. Should we praise Athens, for it is that ancient democracy which the Western civilizations are based upon?.....but it is also the one which sentenced Socrates to death. Or should we hail Confucius as the absolute truth for his strict sense of morality and duty to both one's superioriors and subordinates? Let us not forget that Confucianism gave birth to Legalism, which is the basis for the modern Chinese totalitarian state.Tying these last two paragraphs together with Contractarianism, we can understand that people were free to abandon one Society for another (emigration) or to seek to subvert Society (revolution). This does not make it objectively true that one Society is superior to the other, just that it is relatively better for that particular individual. This concept, that the truth is relative to each individual's perceptions, is the cause of Western Classical Liberalism. The most notable accomplishment of this school of thought is the idea of public debate. For who determines the Absolute Truth in absolutism? Well, the absolute authority, of course (ironically, the absolute truth is always beneficial to this authority, as I will demonstrate soon enough). In place of debate, in absolutist societies, is oppression and censorship. Look no further than the absolute societies of the Islamic World. Saudi Arabia, an nation where Islam is the Absolute Truth, has illegalized Atheism, labelling it terrorism [5]. The irony is intense, as that this is the same country which funds terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS. Why? Because it is all relative.SOURCES[1] https://socserv2.socsci.mcmaster.ca...[2] http://www.earlymoderntexts.com...[3] https://plato.stanford.edu...[4] http://www.ancient.eu...[5] http://www.independent.co.uk...