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RELATIVISM  

The ideology of ethical and metaphysical relativism enables today's "liberal" academia to support blatant racial discrimination in hiring and in cultural portrayals of different individuals. This essay explores the connection between relativism and affirmative-action racism.

This is the continuation of G. Stolyarov II's extensive analysis on the totalitarian mentality portrayed in George Orwell's 1984. This particular essay debunks the fallacy of relativism and demonstrates its grave and grievous consequences in the absolute reality.

As popular human rights ideologies, cultural relativism and universalism are simple and antithetical. Academically, one finds a much more complex relationship between the two perspectives, with proponents on both sides taking positions in gray areas.

The idea of cultural relativism has many positive and negative aspects. The debate against it is strong, however as will be made clear, it is not only true and acceptable, but essential for the growth of morality.

In defending the use of torture against individuals suspected of being "terrorists who kill civilians," the Journal, like Bush & Co., indulges in the same relativism of morality they so indignantly decry.

In the essay, All Africa and Her Progenies," Richard Dawkins addresses the issue of evolution in human beings.

This essay demonstrates that thinking of good and evil as relative terms can result in catastrophic consequences. In human societies across the world, there is an absolute good and an absolute evil, with fine boundaries defining the two.

Taboos regulate our sexual conduct, race relations, political institutions, and economic mechanisms - virtually every realm of our life.

It will never be a black and white issue. Abortion can be and should be discouraged and life in the flesh should always be held sacred as the abode of the spirit in this world. But the state should not be allowed to legislate for morality when there are gray areas.

Instantly I was averted, and yet, I was very curious. It was the idea that some believed in such moral neutrality in a world where such horrific things take place that beguiled me rather than the idea itself.

This content provides a short discussion of absolute moral truth, universal moral truth, situational ethics and moral relativism.

Contrary to certain purveyors of moral relativism, this essay advocates holding those who commit any acts of physical aggression as completely responsible for those acts and liable to punishment under Murray Rothbard's "two teeth for a tooth" criterion.

The ideology of polylogism or collectivist relativism holds that there exists no absolute standard of reason or morality, but rather than logic and morals are different for various races and socioeconomic classes. This essay shows how polylogism leads to violence.

This essay explains why moral relativism is false, and why moral objectivism should be defended. Additionally, I explain some ways that one can go about defending the view.

G. Stolyarov II has published the fourth essay in the "Orwell's Warning" series. This work explores the fallacious foundations of the "doublethink" mentality of Orwell's projected society. Doublethink is a behavioral framework of protective stupidity derived from relativism.

Right after 9/11, the President of the United States went on the record laying the blame for 9/11 on lack of economic attainment. Scott Atran's 2003 study, recently brought up at the Interdisciplines conference, gives us a whole new set of conclusions to work with.

There is too much uncertainty in Hume's moral theory. While impractical, Locke's epistemology leaves much less room for doubt.

This paper discusses how "Angels in America" provides not only captivating drama, but also a human story of deep emotion.

An inspection on how two prominent nineteenth-century American authors combined travel-narratives with romantic fiction in order to posit the reader in a similar place as the narrator(s) himself.

An exploration of the uncanny effects of cannibalism, sex, and tattoing upon postcolonialism generally, and Melville studies specifically.

An analysis of Brutus and his fatal flaw, which is, ironically enough, his conviction for traditional Roman Republican virtue.

Silber's tenure as B.U. President proved highly controversial as he attempted to curtail the power of faculty and students. Silber was successful in boosting standards and raising money but alienated B.U.'s core constiuencies of faculty and alumni.

The moral absolutists have taken hold of social policy in America. As a result, the road to a stricter authoritarian approach to government has been paved with the loss of concern about real social justice.

The sixteenth century introduced the notion of justice as political theorists Niccolò Machiavelli and Sir Thomas More began to formulate their own perspectives on the matter. Yet as humans, we often rely on history to dictate our daily values and morals.

The only spin that this Christian reporter will write about, is the spin that God created in the beginning. The day after the Ted Haggard scandal broke, God did create another day.

How does one differentiate between what may seem to be a violation of one's human rights and what is actually simply an ethnocentric perception?

United States laws are formed in a myriad of ways, and one of those ways is by federal, state and local legislatures who work year-round to pass bills and that become statutes and regulations.

The experiences of white people in Kenya.

There is a difference between a real understanding of history and the right wing "talking-points" version of history. Imagine if "the other side" led us into the war in Iraq. Where might you stand on the issue then?

People today tend to base their values and ethics on what they think and feel. The more deeply they feel a certain way, the more certain they are that the convictions they hold represent the truth. But is this rationale?

One of the most frustrating aspects of understanding sweatshops is how they came to exist in globalization.This brought scholar Ellen Israel Rosen to what may be the most accessible, but also thorough book on a modern history of sweatshops.

This paper argues that based on the findings of Mead and Hersch, the Samoans' family structure fosters socially and emotionally healthier children than does that of the American family structure and dynamics.

This paper examines the virtues and shortcomings of Stanley Fish's argument concerning identity, individuality and culture. The argument is dissected using the "text" of the Confederate Flag.

While the majority of websites are English-based, only 8% of the world's population is English speaking. This trend has made nearly 80% of the world's corporate websites to offer multiple-language portal versions of their websites.

The debate between assimilationist and autonomist historians in the early 20th century.

The Discovery Channel's program "Going Tribal," caused mixed reactions. This article explores perception of the show through Discovery Channel's online forums, then discusses implications for both anthropology and entertainment.

In regards to esthetic judgments, the question typically boils down to one of a methodological nature.

Thus, the question is not so much the semblance of the fictional world of White Noise to the reader's experience of reality, but the mimetic function of Jack Gladney's narrative.

An analysis of Machiavelli's The Prince, its relationship to present political situation, and how it has been used outside of the academic world.

Analysis of Michel de Montaigne's essay "On Repentance," which states that individuals should act as their own judges of right and wrong. Author disagrees with this concept and supports with modern examples.

This paper will show that there was enough political and economic evidence available to Austrian policy makers at the time that, assuming they were minimally competent and informed, they should have recognized that sanctions against Serbia would fail.

The faces of business have multiplied and with them the need to embrace a new understanding of our diverse world - to understand the various cultures we will encounter without prejudice.

The Ethics of Star Trek is a serious examination of ethical concerns and considerations that take specific Star Trek episodes as its starting point.

One would expect postmodern themes to dominate independent film, the avante guarde of the cinematic world.

Anthropology struggled for years to be accepted as a science - and then promptly began denouncing it's scientific credentials once they'd been accepted. This paper represents a young graduate student's views as to the future for scientific anthropology.

A letter to my ethnic studies professor in response to problems and misrepresentations in the curriculum. It contains strong arguments questioning the teaching of ethnic studies and cultural judgments directed at past political figures.

In the mostly Muslim culture of Turkey, it's a social norm for females to remain virgins until marriage. Female virginity is not only highly valued, it's expected. Virginity is celebrated and is symbolic of the woman's importance as mother of the home.

Pope Benedict XVI has come under heavy and severe criticism since assuming the papacy. This article explains why he is the right man for the job.

The book The War on Mel Gibson: The Media Versus the Passion by Gary North will be of interest to anyone who has followed the battle over The Passion played out by movie reviewers, actors, newscasters, and politicians.

Does separation of church and state mean that students are not free to share religious views in the public classroom?