ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses several varieties of cognitive relativism. It describes various non-cognitive forms of relativism, such as moral or aesthetic relativism and certain relativistic views about cultural practices. The chapter argues that there are deep problems with cognitive relativism. It seeks to establish is that there is a range of possible relativist positions, so one cannot talk simply of relativism without qualification. The doctrine of relativism was once widely dismissed as incoherent. One place in which the issue of relativism about rationality has emerged is in recent work in the philosophy of science. The picture of the relation between relativism and methodology presented in these quotes reflects a widespread assumption. Some relativists might wish to dispense with talk of truth altogether, and would presumably deny that there is a distinct doctrine of relativism about truth. Suppose that the doctrine of relativism about truth is asserted by the truth relativist as an absolute claim.
