(May 29, 2016 at 7:14 am)robvalue Wrote: It appears to be a contradiction in terms, so that the answer "yes" is paradoxical.
If we answer "yes", we have an absolute truth; but then the claim itself is that truth is relative and not absolute. So the statement cannot be true. It's like the Liar paradox.
This doesn't say anything much about absolute or relative truth, other than their incompatibility within statements.
I do see where you're going, you're saying "it's not absolutely true that truth is relative". But if truth is relative, absolute truth is a meaningless concept and so is irrelevant. Truth could also be some sort of mixture of the two.
But you can't simply say that "truth is relative" because that is a self defeating statement. By making that statement you are declaring an absolute while denying their existence. If truth is relative then so is that statement making not always true.
I've also heard "everything is meaningless". Another self-defeating, because if you believe that to be true, that makes it meaningful which means not everything is meaningless. But if everything is meaningless then so is that statement and can be disregarded as pointless.
We are not made happy by what we acquire but by what we appreciate.
