Relativism, Dogmatism, Pluralism

I was glad to see that Lynch was proactive about attacking the Kant issue with regard to what exactly is attainable knowledge based on what can be considered fact. Saying that we can know facts but never be entirely certain about a truth makes a sort of working definition of truth, making it possible to form a base on which one can postulate further. Knowing something without a shadow of a doubt isn’t for what we should strive, so taking it out of the equation by still holding truth as an attainable goal. Being someone immersed in the sciences for most hours of the day, I equated it to something like cell theory. We can never be absolutely certain that cell theory is true, but we have evidence that points to cell theory. Due to the scientific evidence gathered, we can use that truth to then extrapolate further and use that knowledge to combat disease.

One thing I would have to say he left out of the discourse was his discussion on dogmatism and relativism. I do agree with his statement that many people have used their “Truth” dogma to commit heinous acts toward others, many in the name of God. However, I also believe that those who subscribe to the simple relativism can cause their own incorrect conclusions based on their interpretation of everything being relative. To use a bizarre example, there are multiple websites springing up that young women are setting up praising “Anna,” giving tips to other girls on how to slip into the mental disease of anorexia and hide it from your friends and family. Although I hope most people would be horrified by these websites, simple moral relativism might allow the misinformed to just think of it as a diet that can be monitored safely. Even though there isn’t a “Truth” dogma that conjures up images of the Spanish Inquisition, ignoring things that are clearly wrong and trying to say it’s just okay relative to someone else plays into Lynch’s idea that simple moral relativism is lazy.

I hope Lynch goes further into his idea of plural truths. I think this idea can be further extrapolated to help combat some of the more ignorant Truth seekers out there.