Relative Truth vs. Absolute Truth

Do you find that your personal thought makes you a supporter of relative truth? Relative truth being truths that are different from culture to culture and from time period to time period. Example that it was ok in 100 b.c.e to own a person.

Or are you a believer in absolute truth? That truth that is consistant from culture to culture. 2+2=4 is an simple but effective example of an absolute truth.

Also, where to certain truths in you life fall?

I think this is a very interesting idea. But i'd have to say that people are dependent upon and more involved with relative truth than they realise.
The example that you gave that 2+2=4 is actually an example of a relative truth, i.e. it does not have any meaning except in relation to the abstract theory of numbers and the laws of mathematics. I couldn't give you an example of a place or time where 2+2 didn't = 4 but then again i haven't died yet, and not wanting to get esoteric or off track maybe there are dimensions that we are not aware of in our consciouss state where 2+2 doesn't = 4.

umm.... you've probably ceased to take anything i'm saying seriousley now, and i can't think of many good examples, but i think what i'm trying to say is basically... everything is relative, or everything that we have contact with, i'd have to say the only two truths that i would hold as absolute is the law of impermanence and the law of interconnectedness

i.e. everything dies everything changes and every molocule in existence is interconnected with other molecules.... every action we make arises out of seeds of thought patterns of behaviour or attitude, i'm not explaining this very well, basically what i mean is that everything is interconected and influences everything else

If everything is relative, then aren't you stating and absolute truth? Which would mean that everthing is not relative

Cool smilie

This I think can be an interesting discussion in which really there is now answer that is correct. The discussion in the part that is important.

It will be interesting if some faithful to their religious faith will chime in as I feel that many that the relative truth of religion and disguise it as an absolute truth.

whats to say that peoples different religious ideas of absolute truth have to be mutually exclusive. most people would agree that if a person believes in something then that is truth unto them. i would go a step further and say that the christian and the hindu and the muslim scholars are all correct, all their truths are absolute.

"but thats impossible!" you say...

it's a self-contradicting notion. it's a paradox, but i believe that paradox is a component of truth all the evidence you need is in quantum physics...

the fact is we're an impossible creature in an impossible universe.

I know what i'm trying to say i just can't get it into words, i think what i'm trying to say is that everything is absolute and everything is relative.... all at the same time.

Its like a zen koan, such as "what is the sound of one hand clapping" it doesn't make any sense, it's purpose is to try and transcend the application of logic or rationale all together.

The zen buddhist and quantum physics view is that " the universe does not exist (or to be more correct - no deductions can be made about what exists" )

here are some zen koans:

One day Chuang-tzu and a friend were walking along a riverbank. "How delightfully the fishes are enjoying themselves in the water!" Chuang-tzu exclaimed.
"You are not a fish," his friend said. "How do you know whether or not the fishes are enjoying themselves?"
"You are not me," Chuang-tzu said. "How do you know that I do not know that the fishes are enjoying themselves?"


Shuzan held out his short staff and said, "If you call this a short staff, you oppose its reality. If you do not call it a short staff, you ignore the fact. Now what do you wish to call this?"

To assert that truth is a dated concept is to put forward as true the statement, "truth is a dated concept." Those who think otherwise are loading the word "true" with more meaning than it actually has. To assert a proposition is to advance it as true; so unless we are prepared to quit making assertions, we should not frown on the notion of truth.

John Tilley

Doesn't get anymore perspicacious than that.

When you say "...all their truths are absolute for them." You are describing a relitive truth. There is no contritction. We just don't know for sure what the absolute truth is. The questions to ask are Which religion is the correct one; Is religion the correct way to worship, or is the absolute truth that we are met to believe as an individual?
These are questions that there are not any answers to. Only a belief in. Just because you believe strongly in something does not make it an absolute truth. When you say "Well it's the absolute truth for me." Until proven it is relative



A paradox may end up being the absolute truth in some cases, but not in religion.

If we were impossible than how come you exist, you just do. Descartes took care of that. "I think therefore I exist."

Some truth is absolute; other truths are relative. The question is which truths are which.

The one truth