by Javier Sánchez-Collado 1 year ago
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Why do we say that nobody thinks? Relativism defends that all opinions are equal and that any truth is subjective. The problem is that this tantamounts to not thinking because I don't need to make an effort to ponder each one of the ideas or opinions; I do not want to find out which are correct and which aren't.
In other words: "To have opinions is the best way to avoid the obligation to think."
Any dialogue calls for some conditions. The first may be the belief that truth exists and we can get to know it. Otherwise, why should we talk? (see "the lunatic asylum problem").
In other words, any dialogue entails truth.
Violence
Do you use your head to think or to butt?
No matter if your ideas are correct. You can, for example, irrationally defend human rights. Or the Pythagoras' theorem by appealing to violence.
Indiference
A world where every opinion is correct is similar to a mental asylum. There, everybody feels to be Napoleon or Gandhi or an alien. They live isolated in their worlds of "opinions" or subjectivity. In each one's world, it is true what they claim to be. However, no one listens to them because they have nothing interesting to say. Therefore, to say that we respect all kinds of opinions means that we don't mind what other people may say. Even more, it would be impossible to have a proper dialogue.
To find out whether ideas are reliable, we should try them on the anvil of the dialogue with the hammer of our reason.
We often treat our ideas as Don Quixote treated his cardboard helmet visor.
Remember what Don Quixote did with his helmet and why.
This is "relativism"
