Absolute/relative truth

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Why do some people not believe that there are absolute truths and that all truths are relative? Truths are relative? What does that even mean?

So I understand that people can have different beliefs about what is true, but how is it that truth can be relative?

Either the man on trial killed the victim or he didn't. Either Jesus resurrected or he didn't. So can someone please explain why some people say truth is relative and what that even means?

my take on it is that some thruths are defined by the people involved, not the circumstances, and a truth like that would not be true for everyone.

then there is the similarity to the quote from the big bang theory:
"wrong is an absolute, something cannot be MORE wrong, either its wrong or it isnt"
"sure it can, to say a tomato is a vegetable is wrong, to say its a suspension is very wrong, simple."


recited from memory, it gets the meaning across i hope.

Absolute truth is not absolutely accessible.

Truth is inconvenient and uncomfirtable.

It is much easier on many to deny the existence of truth and go with temporary and local values.

This is the position I take.

Some truths are relative and some truths are absolute.

WHY does that not surprising?

Is there a clear criterion for which is which? Or does that depend on the phase of the moon?

Can you give me an example of a relative truth?

"Success has many fathers, yet failure is an orphan."

There are only relative truths because, inevitably, for any situation or decision, there are people to be held responsible for them.

Look to history. How many of its truths, which have to absolute for their having been set in stone by the dictation of the events, are spun as relative?

A relative truth is an obfuscation of result and/or responsibility. There is no other interpretation in my book.

All I know is that those who argue for "truth is always relative" have a very hard time answering the following question:

Is it the absolute truth that truth is always relative?

The color of any object that you and a color-blind person sees.

i agree there is a big difference between facts and some of the relative truths, but that doesnt mean something cant be true for one person and not another.

Is this statement an absolute truth?

I'm willing to bet it is.

Actually, that argument would only be effective if I were to say that all truths are relative or truth is always relative.

^^^^
What your saying must be true.

A Cretan utters the statement "All Cretans are complete liars, never telling the truth". Is his statement an absolute truth, a relative truth or his his statement an absolute lie or a relative lie.

ruveyn

I don't think any truth (maybe Descartes Cognito Ergo Sum being an exception) is infallible, as the human thought process itself is not infallible. People without Free Will can be convinced they have it, so there is no reason a proverbial Cartesian Demon couldn't bugger up our Logic too. Our existence is the only A Priori that tells us about the world, than must necessarily be true. After that, things could be wrong (but hopefully aren't)

He's a Cretan. Therefore, in order for him to be a complete liar, never telling the truth, he'd have to lie concerning what he said.

Therefore, the Cretan is not making an accurate statement about all Cretans.

I'd say it's an absolute lie.