Phil 1101 1st Edition Lecture 12Outline of Last Lecture I. Good apples and badII. The (epistemic) state of natureIII. Fricker/Craig hypothesisIV. Rationality and CredibilityV. Rationality without CredibilityOutline of Current Lecture I. RelativismII. Argument from DemocracyIII. Plato’s ObjectionIV. Postmodern (cultural) relativismV. Limiting Relativism Current LectureI. Relativisma. An inconclusive argumenti. People have different beliefs or opinionsii. There is no objective way of finding out which opinions are trueiii. SO either…1. Skepticism: we’ll never know what is objectively true2. Relativism: truth is relative to a perspectiveb. Simple (minded) Relativismi. All truth is relativeii. For any proposition P, P is true= P is true relative to an individual’s belief at a timeThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.II. Argument from Democracy?a. Argument:i. If everyone has the political right to express opinions, then everyone’s opinions are equally plausibleii. Everyone does have the political right to express opinionsiii. Therefore, everyone’s opinions are equally plausibleb. Problems: first premise is implausibleIII. Plato’s Objection: Is simple relativism truea. Consider: “All truth is relative”b. If it is (plainly) true, then it is plainly false (NOT every truth is relative)c. If is not plainly true, then it is either false or only true-for-that-individual. If so, then it is terminally unconvincing for those who don’t already believe itd. Alternative Explanation:i. Perhaps ‘true for me’ only means ‘I believe it’ii. But that really has nothing to do with truthIV. Postmodern (cultural) relativisma. P is true= P is accepted by a communityb. There are no objective facts or truths independent of what communities accepti. Allows individuals to make some mistakes to a certain degreec. Objections:i. What does it mean for a culture to ‘accept’ something as wrong?1. If most people say X is right, then X is right a. Problem: what is true is determined by majority2. Or: If the powerful say it is right then it is rightii. Plato’siii. It would make one’s own community infallible, whatever your culture accepts is trueiv. So cultural/postmodern relativism seems to rule out speaking truth to powerV. Limiting Relativisma. Perhaps only SOME kinds of truth are relativeb. If so, then Plato’s objection could be
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