Search results for "Relativism"

From Herder to Strecker: Birth and Developments of the Anthropological Notion of Culture in Germany

2023

Austrian and German anthropological traditions are considered in view of the influence they had on global anthropology. The chapter is built around the centrality of the anthropological notion of culture and cultural dynamics. The particularistic and relativist notion of culture is in fact believed to have emerged from Germany from the eighteenth century, where intellectuals have juxtaposed the term Kultur to Zivilisation. Within German anthropology, universalistic perspectives on culture have continued through the nineteenth century, as in the evolutionary approach of Gustav Klemm and Johann Jakob Bachofen. A different form of cultural universalism was introduced by Adolf Bastian with his …

The Relativity of Truth

2020

In this chapter, I discuss the relativity of truth and define the concept of viewpoint-relative truth. The relativity of truth is perhaps the strongest form of epistemological relativity that can used to deduce the relativity of knowledge and reality. One of the fundamental problems of epistemology is overcoming doubt, which is why I will introduce epistemology by presenting the problem of scepticism. After this, I discuss different theories of truth. The contextuality, or the dependency on context, of truth is focal to viewpoint relativism, and I build the definition of viewpoint-dependent truth upon it. As an example of relativism that utilises contextuality, I will present MacFarlane’s t…

Points of View and Relativism

2020

This chapter defines the central concept of this book, the point of view. The development of viewpoint relativism is largely based on this concept. A point of view is defined as choosing a certain aspect of its object to represent it. In principle, points of view are subjective and they are anchored to the internal cognitive models of a person. But points of view can also be objectified linguistically and brought out to be publicly examined. Points of view are not permanent, but can be changed and developed, and even exchanged in certain cases. Points of view are not true or untrue as such, but the maps that are acquired through their adoption are more or less true. We can compare objectifi…

Realism as a Foundation for Social Work Knowledge

2005

Could a philosophical position called ‘realism’ act as a foundation for social work knowledge? Social work is a phenomenon consisting of three parts: research, education and professional practise. The aim of social work is to alleviate social problems – and this task can be fulfilled through all the three parts of social work. Research must help not only the professional practise, but also the teaching of social work methods. When speaking of research methodology, social work research should overcome the pitfalls of empiricism, inductivism and relativism, and take into consideration of the powers of societal structures, history and nature. The ideas of realism can help in the realization of…

The Relativity of Reality

2020

According to conceptual relativism, reality crucially depends on the mind and the language of a person. The world does not present itself as already made or arranged. People have different ways of categorising and conceptualising the world. Because according to conceptual relativism, what exists also depends on conceptual frameworks, it can also be called ontological relativism. We must note that ontological relativism does not mean that the mind creates or generates reality and its objects as a craftsman creates a ceramic object. That would be idealism. Relativism does not deny that the world exists and affects our senses, experiences and knowledge. But despite this, we cannot know how the…

Integrismo político en EEUU / 1. Los 'neocons'

2004

¿Es la razón universal?

2005

Es la razón universal? Esta es la pregunta que nos convoca. Una pregunta invita a la respuesta y es descortés evadirla. Así que contestaré, por mi parte, que sí lo es, que la razón es universal. Pero en filosofía parece que rigen unas formas de cortesía distintas a cuando estamos con los amigos divirtiéndonos, nos encontramos con nuestros vecinos o con un extraño. En esos casos es poco gentil demorar las respuestas a las preguntas o evadirlas descaradamente. Sin embargo, parece que cuando filosofamos ocurre todo lo contrario: no es de buen tono, no se ajusta a las buenas maneras contestar como yo lo hecho. De manera que como no quiero ser descortés, como quiero causarles una buena impresión…

A INVESTIGAÇÃO NARRATIVA EM EDUCAÇÃO FÍSICA E ESPORTE: QUE É E QUAL A SUA UTILIDADE

2011

Narrative inquiry is a burgeoning form of research in social sciences that has received little attention in physical education and sport sciences. In this article, we seek to balance this situation by offering an understanding of what narrative inquiry can be and can offer to our field. In order to gain some theoretical purchase on a difficult field, we first define narrative. Next, a distillation of guiding assumptions and characteristics are offered. Finally, some reasons as to why narratives may be of benefit for the field of physical education and sport. In conclusion, we consider narrative inquiry as a useful, although problematic, way of theorizing and doing research in the domains of…

Linguistic Therapy of Evaluation

2006

The linguistic therapy of evaluation (LTE) comes from the theory of general semantics (GS) developed by Alfred Korzybski. GS emphasizes the role that language plays in evaluating the world of “events,” that is, what is going on (WIGO in the individual’s world). GS is the science of both evaluation and values. “Evaluation” implies that a similar degree of importance is given to thinking and feeling. When evaluating an experience, we construe the world through language. Korzybski (1933, p. 24) defined a semantic reaction as “the psychological reaction of a given individual to words, language, symbols, and events, in connection with their meanings, and the psychological reactions, which become…

Mente, linguaggio e razionalità. Il naturalismo di W.V. Quine ed il dibattito contemporaneo.

2013

Una lettura non riduzionista della filosofia della mente di W. V Quine, offre la chiave per apprezzare alcune fondamentali curvature teoriche del suo naturalismo epistemologico. Permette di evidenziare una concezione dell'osservazione quale cognitivamente permeata che non implichi forme radicali di relativismo conoscitivo e di rendere perspicua la rilevanza delle aperture sul tema dell'empatia nella comprensione dell'altro. Ne emerge, in dialogo con voci autorevoli del dibattito contemporaneo, un'interpretazione che si discosta da alcuni stereotipi storiografici consolidati e tratteggia i contorni di una peculiare concezione naturalistica della razionalità.