Religion & Law

Michael S.,

There are different relativisms:  in particular, anthropological, epistemological, cultural.  Most discussions of relativism I've encountered outside the technical philosophical literature are deeply confused and, therefore, confusing.  Wringing one's hands about "a dictatorship of relativism" may be, in some quarters, attractive polemical posturing; it is not, however, productive philosophical discussion.  In any event, here are some thoughts:  Perry, "Are Human Rights Universal?  The Relativist Challenge and Related Matters," In Perry, The Idea of Human Rights:  Four Inquiries (Oxford, 1998).

Michael P.