Philosophy
Current Students: Undergraduates
Core modules and Options at Level 9
PHI9RR - Relativism and Reality
It is often said that a certain statement is ‘true for’ one group of people and yet not ‘true for’ another. The statement that abortion is wrong may be true for some societies but not true for others – for instance. What exactly is being said here? Is it merely being said that some people believe that abortion is wrong whereas others do not? Or is a more radical claim being made – namely, that the actual truth of the statement is in some sense ‘relative to’ the societies in question? This more radical claim is known as relativism. It is sometimes said that relativistic attitudes are widespread in contemporary intellectual and popular culture. But what do such attitudes amount to? Are they coherent? Can there be any reason to accept them? Are there in fact many different kinds of relativism, some of which are more plausible than others? In this course, we will consider these and related questions.
Outcomes
- Knowledge and understanding of one of the most important topics in philosophy.
- Ability to think critically and analytically about the topics covered.
Reading Material
A detailed reading list and course reader will be provided at the beginning of the module. Students are expected to buy the following text:
| Paul Boghossian | Fear of Knowledge: Against Relativism and Constructivism | (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2006) |
Useful background information may be found here:
Availability: |
Honours (semester 4 or 6), 3 Year Degree and General Degree students. |
|---|---|
Prerequisite: |
Any two of PHI911, PHI912 and PHI913 |
Assessment: |
Coursework: one required essay, 50%; final three-hour examination 50%. Students may choose to submit a second essay to improve their coursework grade. |
Teaching Pattern: |
Two one-hour lectures and one one-hour seminar each week. |
Regulations: |
For the purposes of the University's attendance regulation 14, seminars are prescribed classes . The rationale for prescribing these classes may be found in the Philosophy Student Handbook, section F. This section also contains regulations relating to the submission of essays, and other matters. |