Anthropological and relativism in philosophy is ...

Relativism and anthropology are one of the basic principles of philosophy. Despite the fact that these principles were justified relatively recently, they appeared with the emergence of the first civilizations. Special development was given to these areas in ancient Greece, in particular these issues were dealt with by the Sophists.

Relativism

Relativism in philosophy is the principle that everything in life has a relative character and depends on the circumstances and point of view. The principle emphasizes the connection of various objects with their subjective characteristics and properties. According to this, since all objects have subjective characteristics, their reliability is susceptible to criticism and almost all objects can be represented as unreliable and erroneous. For example, if a person is told: "Give examples of the philosophy of relativism", then this can be illustrated by the following sentence: The lion kills his victim. This proposal is subjective, since, depending on the different situation, it can be positive and negative. If the victim is an antelope, then this is normal, since those are the laws of the animal kingdom, but if the victim is a person - then the offer becomes negative. This is the conclusion of relativism.

Depending on how to look at this situation, it can be good or bad, truthful or false, reliable or unreliable. This leads to what many philosophers consider relativism as a disease of modern philosophy.

Relativism and anthropologism of the Sophists

Sophists in ancient Greece called people who fully committed themselves to mental activity. Traditionally, the sophists were philosophers, as well as those who studied politics, oratory, law, etc. The most famous sophists of that time were Solon, Pythagoras, Socrates, Protagoras, Prodicus, Hippias, etc. Anthropologism, subjectivism and relativism of sophist philosophy became the basis for Almost all modern philosophical trends.

One of the main features of the Sophists was that, at the center of their teachings, they always placed man first. Anthropocentrism was undoubtedly the basis of their teachings, because they believed that any object is to a different extent connected with man.

Another important feature of the sophists was the subjectivity and relativity of any knowledge, since, as scholars of the time argued, any knowledge, concept or assessment can be questioned if you look at it from the other side. Examples of the philosophy of relativism can be found in almost all Sophists. This is perfectly illustrated by Protagoras' famous phrase: "Man is a measure of all things", because it depends on how the situation is assessed by a person, and depends how she perceives them. Socrates considered the relativity of morality and ethics, Parmenides was interested in the process of assessing things, and Protagoras put forward the idea that everything in this world is evaluated through the prism of the interests and goals of a particular person. Anthropologism and relativism of the philosophy of sophists found their development in subsequent historical epochs.

The development of relativism at different stages of history

For the first time the principle of relativism is formed in ancient Greece, in particular by the efforts of the Sophists. Later this principle goes into skepticism, according to which all knowledge is subjective, since they are considered depending on the historical conditions for the formation of the cognitive process. According to this, any knowledge is unreliable in itself.

The principle of relativism was also used in the 16th and 17th centuries as a basis for criticizing dogmatism. In particular, Erasmus of Rotterdam, Beyle, Montaigne and others were engaged in this. Relativism was also used in the basis of idealistic empiricism, and was also the basis for metaphysics. Over time, there were other examples of the philosophy of relativism, which became separate directions.

Epistemological relativism

Gnoseology, or knowledge - is the basis of relativism. Epistemological relativism in philosophy is a complete rejection of the idea that knowledge can grow and develop. The process of cognition is described as one that completely depends on certain conditions: the biological needs of man, the mental and psychological state, the availability of theoretical tools, the logical form used,

The fact of the development of knowledge at each stage relativists see as the main proof of its untruth and unreliability, because knowledge can not change and grow, they must be unambiguous and stable. This leads to the denial of the possibility of objectivity in general, as well as to complete agnosticism.

Physical relativism

The principle of relativism has found scope not only in philosophy and the humanities and social sciences, but also in physics and quantum mechanics. In this case, the principle is that it becomes necessary to rethink all the concepts of classical mechanics, including time, mass, matter, space, etc.

As part of the interpretation of this principle, Einstein introduced the term "observer", which describes the one who works with certain subjective elements. In this case, the process of cognition of the given object and the interpretation of reality depends on the subjective representations of the observer.

Aesthetic Relativity

Aesthetic relativism in philosophy is the principle that first appeared in the Middle Ages. Particular attention was paid to Vitelon. In his works he was interested in the notion of beauty from the psychological point of view. He argued that the concept of beauty on the one hand is very volatile, but on the other hand it has some stability. For example, he argued that the Moors more like the same colors, while the Scandinavians are quite different. He believed that it depends on education, on habits and on the kind of environment in which a person grew up.

In his arguments, Vitelon came to relativism, because he believed that the beautiful is relative. What is beautiful for some is not for others, and there are certain subjective reasons for this. In addition, what one person thinks is beautiful, in time he can see terrible. A variety of situations and positions can serve as a basis for this.

Moral (ethical) relativism

Moral relativism in philosophy is the principle that good or evil in its absolute form does not exist in principle. This principle denies any moral standards and the existence of any criteria regarding what is morality and morality. Some philosophers see the principle of moral relativism as permissiveness, while others see it as a convention of interpreting good and evil. Ethical relativism in philosophy is a principle that shows conditional moral norms according to the concepts of good and evil. According to this, at different times, under different circumstances and in different places, the same notions of morality may not only not coincide, but also be completely opposite to each other. Any morality is relative due to the fact that it is relatively good and evil.

Cultural relativism

Cultural relativism in philosophy is a principle that consists in the fact that any systems of cultural assessments are denied in general, and all cultures are considered absolutely equal. This direction was laid by Fran Boas. As an example, the author uses American and European cultures that impose their principles and their morals on other countries.

Cultural relativism in philosophy is a principle that considers such categories as monogamy and polygamy, social prestige, gender roles, traditions, behavior patterns, etc. Cultural features depend on the place of residence, religion and other factors. All cultural concepts can be viewed both from the side of the person who grew up in this culture, and from the side of a person who was brought up in a different culture. Views on the same culture seem to be the opposite. In this case, an important role is played by anthropologism, since in the center of any culture man is primarily a person.

Anthropologism

Anthropologism is the principle of philosophy, which considers the concept of "man" as the main category. People are the center of such categories as the past, culture, society, society, nature, etc. The principle of anthropologism appeared in the first civilizations, but it reached its peak in the 18-21 centuries.

In modern philosophy, anthropology attempts to affirm the unity of the scientific and philosophical approach regarding the concept of "man." Anthropologism is present in almost all modern sciences, which explore different aspects of man. Especially widely this concept is considered in philosophical anthropology, which attempts to fully embrace the concept of "man".

Anthropocentrism is the basis of anthropology

The basis of anthropologism is anthropocentrism, according to which man is the center of everything. In contrast, he is anthropologism, which most often explores the biological essence of man, anthropocentrism is interested in its social nature.

According to anthropocentrism, man is the basis of any philosophical study. Many researchers even consider the very notion of philosophy as the search and comprehension by people of their being and existence. Thus, it is through the nature of man, his essence and destiny that virtually all philosophical problems that arise in any historical epoch can be identified.

Historical development of anthropology

First of all, anthropology is inherent in European culture, but many of its principles can also be found in the eastern. As for the origin of the direction, this place is undoubtedly an antiquity. Much credit goes to Socrates, Protagoras, Plato, and others. Special attention should be paid to the work of Aristotle, who studied many physico-psychological topics related to man.

In another way people are represented in the Christian interpretation. Man is seen as a temple that bears the imprint of the creator. Here, besides anthropocentrism, there is also the theocentricism, in the center of the world view is God. In this period, the soul of man, his personality and feelings comes first.

The Renaissance epoch brings the principle of humanism, which differed from that used in the Middle Ages. Humanism begins to be based on the philosophical understanding of man and on the freedom of the human person. Thinkers of the 17th and 18th centuries are concerned about the nature of man, his destiny, his place in this world. The Age of Enlightenment tried to learn a person with the help of exact science and reason. This involved the Rousseau, Voltaire, Diderot, and others.

Later epochs began to rethink many metaphysical processes. Anthropologism develops thanks to the philosophy of Feuerbach, Marx, Kierkegaard and Scheler. To date, anthropologism is still the foundation of modern philosophy and its various directions.

Anthropologism and relativism are the basic principles of modern philosophy. Different aspects of these directions appeared in ancient times, but to this day they have not lost their relevance.