Lecture 2: Realism, Nihilism, Relativism, and Skepticism – Key Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering central concepts from the lecture: realism, nihilism, relativism (including moral and cultural), skepticism, objectivity, truth, belief, justification, knowledge, and illustrative examples.

Realism (philosophy of truth)

The view that there are objective truths that exist independently of anyone’s beliefs or attitudes; truths in science, mathematics, and history are mind-independent.

Nihilism (truth nihilism)

The view that there are no truths in a given domain, or in its strongest form, that no propositions are true.

Skepticism

The view that knowledge is uncertain or impossible to secure; there are truths, but we may not know which are true, or we know very little.

Relativism

The view that truth is relative to context, culture, or individual perspective; there are no universally objective truths.

Cultural Relativism

A form of relativism asserting that truths (including moral truths) depend on the norms of a culture.

Moral Relativism

The idea that moral truths vary by culture or individual; there are no universal moral facts.

Moral Nihilism

The view that there are no moral facts at all; moral propositions are neither true nor false.

Aesthetic Relativism (Beauty)

Judgments of beauty or taste are relative to the observer; there are no objective facts about what is beautiful.

The Eye of the Beholder

A common example illustrating aesthetic relativism: beauty is in the eye of the observer.

Objective Facts

Facts that exist independently of anyone’s beliefs or attitudes.

Jelly Beans in the Jar (Realism example)

A thought experiment illustrating realism: there is an objective number of jelly beans in the jar at a given time.

Belief

A mental state of accepting something as true; a component commonly discussed as part of knowledge.

Truth

A property of propositions that accurately reflects reality; a statement is true if it corresponds to how things really are.

Justification

Having good reasons or evidence for believing a proposition.

Knowledge

Justified true belief; a belief that is true and supported by justification.

Three components of knowledge

Belief, truth, and justification; all three are typically required for knowledge.

Two Societies Slavery Example

A relativist illustration: different societies hold incompatible moral beliefs; suggests there may be no universal moral facts.

Disagreement and Facts

Disagreement among people or experts does not by itself show that there are no facts; realism can accommodate disagreement.

Proof

A logical demonstration that something is true; some domains treat certain propositions as provable or not.

Self-Defeating (Relativism)

A theory that undermines itself; universal relativism implies its own claim would have to be relative as well, which is problematic.

Self-Undermining (Skepticism)

Skepticism can undermine its own claim if it requires justification that it cannot provide.

Relativism as Middle Ground

An interpretation of relativism that allows some truths to be relative and others to be objective, aiming to accommodate apparent conflicts.

Objectivity in Science/Math/History

The realist claim that science, mathematics, and some historical facts provide objective truths about the world.

Self-Refuting Critique of Universal Relativism

The idea that claiming 'all truths are relative' cannot coherently be said to be true if relativism itself claims universal applicability.