Does worldview theory lead to relativism?

James W. Sire addresses another excellent question from  Micheal Hickerson, ESN Blog Contributor:

Is there a danger that acknowledging different worldviews will lead to the position that “all truth is relative”?

Yes and No.

Yes. If in fact there are different worldviews (and indeed there are), then one way to avoid frustration in dialog between those holding divergent worldviews is to give up the notion that any worldview is more likely to be true than any other worldview. This situation has been realized in our American culture, notably on college and university campuses both in the dorms and the liberal arts and social science classrooms. Science and technology assume a determinate, objective reality. It keeps the chemistry building from exploding. It is, in other words, a fact that the presence of multiple and divergent worldviews exist in many cultures and that this has been a factor that has led to the notion that there is no way to determine which, if any of them, is true.

No. But this is only a socio-psychological situation. There is no logical connection between the fact of worldview pluralism and the rationality of worldview relativism. It is patently obvious that this sort of relativism cannot be true. The statement is nonsense. Why? Because if it were true, then it would be false. For the statement that “all truth is relative” is itself a claim to a truth that could not be true. The statement is an illustration of “self-referential incoherence,” an obvious logical fallacy. Pluralism (the existence of many worldviews in one society) in no way entails relativism.

Furthermore, in order for “all truth is relative” to be true, a host of contrary views would have to exist. There can be no relativism if people are not making contradictory claims. Such relativism cannot be the understanding of, say, Muslims, atheists, Hindus and Christians. Their worldviews involve many notions contradictory to each other. They must refuse to believe the “truth” of relativism.

That may, of course, give the relativists the notion that they alone know the truth and those rejecting that truth are dangerous to society. Therefore they in their superior grasp of reality should rule the others. But that would contradict relativism. The notion that “all truth is relative” is therefore not only nonsense but dangerous nonsense. It is rationally incoherent, pragmatically useless and socially dangerous.

Are multiple worldviews present in society? Yes. Of course. In both the popular and the academic world, even the term worldview is used in a number of ways, but it is much better to know that and to understand why you think your own worldview and concept of worldview is more likely to be true than its denial or its opposite.

In short, it is impossible for “all truth to be relative.” The ordinary observation that there is something determinate outside the human mind, some of whose character the mind can more or less accurately understand, must be the assumption of any rational thinking. It undergirds for example the reason I can answer both Yes and No to the question addressed in this blog. Think about it.

Relativism has serious rational and socio-psychological implications. Rationally it keeps anyone from believing they can believe anything including the view itself. That is, it leads to nihilism —that there is no way to know either the truth about the world or the truth of intellectual, theological or philosophical propositions. It gives an ironic illustration of Wittgenstein’s famous proposition: “Whereof one cannot speak there of one must be silent.” At election time silence does not seem unreasonable, does it?

Note: I address the issue of worldview pluralism in Chapter 8 of Naming the Elephant  (InterVarsity Press, 2004).

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Thank-you!  to Mike for posing the question.  Thank-you!  to Jim for his response. If you’re a reader and desire to dig into the question further or ask another question, please reply to the blog post or  email Tom.  If you desire, we are more than willing to attribute the question to “Anonymous.”  

A few  follow-up questions  for your consideration (personally or as part of a discussion):

* How have you found divergent worldviews to be functioning on your campus, in your family, in your own life?
* Do you agree/disagree with Sire’s statement, “There is no logical connection between the fact of worldview pluralism and the rationality of worldview relativism”?
* In high school and early college I “fell” into nihilism. It was through the writing and ministry of Jim Sire and others inspired by his work that I began to glimpse the richness of the real world. Are you yearning for such a vision and/or have friends that do? If so, would you have interest in exploring Sire’s  Naming the Elephant  (InterVarsity Press, 2004) via an on-line discussion? Let me know if the answer is “Yes.”

Note: Click  here  for other ESN blog posts by Jim Sire, including excerpts from his autobiography  Rim of the Sandhills.