Honestly, I did not even know what relativism meant until I heard this podcast, and I am even more unfamiliar with how it is affecting me. After listening to Chris talk so passionately about this so called "relativism," I started to understand what it was and I saw how relativism denies itself. How can all thoughts and opinions be true if they are not all the same? He argues that relativism takes away not only the meaning of life, but also the meaning of faith, makes morality a matter of personal taste, and makes us easy to manipulate. The issue at hand, though, is that life and faith do have meaning, morality is not flexible, and we need to be firm in our faith. These are all problems that cannot be answered by science. They will not be proven with a scientific study, but all of them can be found through the teachings of the Catholic Church. Laws cannot be changed and rules cannot be broken just because someone thinks that they are wrong. The question of right and wrong are black and white, not just shades of gray. We do not get to choose what is right based on what feels good for us. For example, I cannot kill someone because it makes me feel good and I think that there is no problem with killing. That is not acceptable; I do not get to make the rules in that way. Morality does not work that way, and it never has, but relativism has molded society into thinking this way. Also, time and time again, people ask what is the meaning of life and the purpose for faith. This answer can simply be found through Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. Lastly, it makes the general public easy to manipulate. If our faith is not in God and if our morals do not come from Him, then who makes the rules? The laws and standards will come from who ever has the most power and control over the people. This will mean that the rules will change, the person in power will be different, and we will never find peace. Yes, all of theses issues can also be answered by relativism, but deep down we know that if they are answered in that way, they will be faulty. I think that for that reason, if Professor Harry Frankfurt were to describe relativism he would say that it is bull. The fact that it is not concrete in any way makes me agree with Frankfurt even more than I did after reading his essay. Also, in the same way that there is no truth behind bull, there is not any truth behind relativism, making both worse than lying. Chris says that people like myself, do not question relativism because it is everywhere, and I grew up around it. So many different people try to be God and this causes people to loss sight of what is true. Relativism needs to be questioned, and that needs to start with us, the youth of this nation, in order to find true peace, not only for ourselves, but for all of humanity.
I really enjoyed how you related last weeks essay with this weeks podcast! I also agree with you in saying that professor Harry Frankfurt would think that the idea of relativism is bull. I also enjoy your concluding sentence of your blog. It really wrapped it up altogether! Good blog!
I didn't admit it in my essay but I also was a bit cloudy on the subject of relativism, it was very good that you came out stating that. Even though his talk was about religion I thought you did a very good job relating relativism to Gods will.
Relativism is defined as the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute. Chris Stefanick starts is talk out with talking about his children. He says that one of his children stuck a fork in an electrical socket, because he was very open minded, but now his mind is closed on forks and light sockets because of what happened. He says that "a lot of times people say that we have to be open minded about everything, but it's good to close your mind on certain things." When you discover the truth about something your mind is actually suppose to close on it. I didn't really understand what relativism was until the end of the podcast. Relativism has a lot to do about truth. Chris states that truth is defined in the dictionary as something that conforms to reality. Everyone makes up there own truth. Truth is basically relative to whatever you or I think in our everyday lives. Chris argues that relativism takes away not only the meaning of life, but also the meaning of faith, and makes our own personal issues moral and and turns us into different controlling type of people. The bigger issue is that our own faith and our own life have more meaning that we think it does, and we need our morality to be the biggest part of our faith. All of these are problems that science cannot answer. People believe that a scientific study and prove them right, but there wrong, all of these questions can be answered through our Catholic and the teachings that come though God. A lot of people think that certain things are there whole life, for example sports, there is more to life that just those things. Going off of professor Harry Frankfurt essay, I think that he was feel that relativism is bullshit. When Harry Frankfurt defined lying, he defined it as saying that it is all false and there is no actual truth. I think that he would feel the exact same about relativism.
I really like how you use Chris's kid and his open mindedness. This is a really good example of how we should like our lives. Once we know something to be absolute we should close our mind to that. I agree that truth is relative to everyone. I think that you should have found a better way to tie it to last weeks essay. You sort of just stuck it on the end, but I really enjoyed your thoughts on Chris's talk about relativism.
I think the way you related the essay and with Chris's talk today was really good becusse the two ideas can go hand in hand, but could have used a bit more explanation. I really enjoyed how you added the part about how sports are life to many people when it truly cannot be. Sports are well liked around our town and I think that is an important message to be spread so great job!
Cass, I thought you did a great job revealing Chris's message with the ideas of a closed and open mind. You even included an example in your writing which helped to create a little bit of imagery. Overall you summed up relativism in a fair way! Keep up the good work!
There is so much that Chris Stefanick covers in his talk, all of these things relate to society today and every human as an individual. His main argument is about the falsity of relativism. He becomes very passionate in many points during his talk about people's beliefs. Basically he starts by saying that relativism is wrong because it implies that everyone can think what they want, and that people are wrong for standing up for what is right because everyone else might not think it's right as well. Chris explains that we see this all the time in our government today and in the term "politically correct". Today in society we can only debate about things such as math or science because if actual morals or justice are brought up, people having controversial thoughts can now get in trouble for trying to stick up for what is right. He also brings up the topic of abortion and how people use the term "choice". America is supposed to be set on the principle of freedom and follow the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The legalization of abortion completely contradicts these rights. Relativist don't acknowledge this because they think that no one can tell people what they should be allowed to do or what is right or wrong. Basically in order to be a relativist, everyone has to agree that no one can agree on everything. When you lay it out like that, it just sounds crazy but that is what people believe. Today people can actually sue one another for being associated with hatful acts or speaking. In other words, governments recognize someone's feelings being hurt as a crime. All of this relates back to religion and that is what Chris showed in his talk. If someone knows that Jesus is the way and the truth, they are not able to show this because people get too upset about not getting to think exactly as they want, instead of just looking at fact and realizing that Jesus was a real living person. Too often today, people listen to their feelings and relativist believe this is the right way to live. In his talk, Chris used the example that a boy told him he understood how Chris felt about chastity but he felt that having sex with his girlfriend was the right thing and that he was happy doing it. Just because something makes you happy or feels right does not mean that it is Gods will. God gave us the Ten Commandments and explained the difference between right and wrong. Relativism in society try's to imply that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs about right and wrong, even though history shows that God has given us the answer and has guided people's lives for hundreds of years. The relativism talk relates to the essay on bullshit because they both ruin society. Relativism takes away from the essence of life because everyone is entitled to their own morals. Bullshit ruins conversations because of people thinking that they know about things but they are actually just making stuff up. This goes against true morals because people make their own truth in the process of bullshitting just as relativist make their own truth about everything. Relativism effects every person today. I am fortunate enough to go to a private school, but in public schools, God is not allowed to be discussed because of how others might feel or think. I along with many others fall into the temptation of relativism. Sometimes if you don't want to acknowledge that something is wrong, you can just tell yourself that you are allowed to think what ever you want. Even though this helps cope with wrong doings, it still makes them wrong. Just as Chris explains, God is the one truth and all people should follow him.
I agree with how you said that sometimes we don't want to acknowledge something that may be wrong so we try to think that it is ok anyway. This happens way too often in our society and by looking to God and seeing the truth, we can come to avoiding this issue.
I like your idea that relativism is a lot like political correctness. You have a point that we con really only talk about certain things before the conversation is completely shut down.
Before I had listened to Chris's speech on relativism, I didn't have the clearest idea on what it truly meant. Just by looking at the word itself, I took out it's base of "relative" which makes me think of our own individual beliefs. When someone claims a topic is relative, it means that it's up to an individual's perception or opinion of that concept to determine it's value or validity. Upon sitting through the podcast, I feel it was made evident what Chris's feelings on relativism were right away. From a Catholic Church perspective, he was totally and wholly against the idea of such a contradictory nature. Personally, I found the portion about his relatives particularly intriguing. All the while he'd been spouting off examples of immature minds and how people were incorrect, and the he comes out and says that he believes the Catholic faith is the only true faith. Chris ventures on to explain that his relative is Jewish and they get along fine and such, but I find it difficult to understand why he incorporated his own relative thoughts into a talk that was almost entirely about non-relativism ideals. It was at that point that I was truly confused, because he contradicted himself, and I couldn't tell whether it was purposeful or otherwise. Nevertheless, I found it unsurprising that the speaker went on to talk about topics relating to chastity and abortion, but he did bring up some interesting points. In the case of pro-choice, he claimed that most people didn't like the idea of abortion even though they supported the choice. His point in that specific example was how fickle relativism is as a whole, because a person who believes in it is constantly contradicting themselves. Another example Chris referred to was his talk with a young man after a chastity talk that he'd given. The youth claimed that he thought it was fine if he was happy and had sex with his girlfriend all the time because "it worked for him". Chris listened patiently and then went on to challenge the boy using the very same logic, imploring him to think about this from Hitler's standpoint. If killing and imprisoning Jews was "good for him" or made him feel good, was it a just thing to do? By that logic, was killing an acceptable task? The flustered boy immediately responded with something akin to the phrase "that's different". Is it different? What good does relativism make you when you don't even know what it is that you're believing in? Again, by agreeing with such a wishy-washy subject you're merely contradicting yourself over and over again. In a sense, it's like walking in a circle, you get nowhere because there's nowhere to go. Relativism can cause a person to become lost within themselves, because they lack true order of any kind.
Nice job bringing in Hitler. It really makes the topic come to light, as anyone can clearly see that is an awful thing to be doing if hitler was doing it when he killed thousands of people.
I enjoyed the tie to Hitler because it is easily related to by most people because it is hard to have not heard of the horrible things Hitler did. I also liked the ideas of chastity and abortion because abortion sometimes happens because of lack of the other, it is a great example to support the author's argument and your argument.
Relativism is a major problem in our world today. It is a problem that I did not even realize was occurring in our society until I partook in a closer examination. Essentially, I could partially see the issue, but Chris really brought this to life. Chris argues that relativism destroys the meaning of life and allows moral issues to become a matter of opinion or that morals are just what people are comfortable with or what works for them in their certain stage of life. He argues that in matters of faith, especially, relativism is detrimental. He provided the point to argue relativism by explaining simply that we are not God. Therefore, we cannot make the truth or change the truth. There is only one truth and that is Jesus Christ. Through Christ we can come to understand the truth between religions and other opposing ideas because everyone's thoughts or opinions cannot be true. He also states that not everyone is 100% wrong or 100% right. Quite frankly, that person who is always right would have to be perfect which nobody is. This idea of relativism allows people to think that they can do whatever they want because they can make their own truths. I can see that in my life I do some questionable things and I will say to myself that I can do things that may not be right because everyone else is. This shows how easily it is to become wrapped up into the evil affects of society. It also allows people to think that rules do not apply to them. For instance, one cannot think that it is ok to rob a bank if they feel like that is something they would want to do. Chris' talk is similar to the essay we read last week because they both are showing the truth through faith. They explain that the truth cannot be changed by the people because it is created by God. Both arguments were on controversial topics and explained the truth within them which were that abortions are not the answer and that God is the truth and that we cannot just make up truth. This brings me to the point that Chris stated. He states that we must be confident when standing up for our faith. Even if others do not believe in the truth, we must. We cannot avoid the truth of God in order to spare someone's feelings. This is the danger of relativism.
I like the way that you compared this podcast to last weeks article. I never really saw last weeks essay in regards to faith. I think you could have used a stronger conclusion sentence or two because your blog was so complex that ending with something more powerful would have been beneficial. Also, I agree that it is a huge problem, but yet I didn't realize it either until I listened to this talk.
I think that the way that you related this podcast to last weeks essay was great! I also didn't think of relating last weeks essay to faith! That was a very good and strong point in your blog this week! I also liked how you ended your blog with saying that relativism is dangerous! Great blog Mandi!
Relativism is very apparent in today's society and that is very unfortunate. I agree with how you said Chris brought it to life. You talk about the difference of right and wrong and I also highlighted that in my blog. I couldn't agree more with how you said God is the truth. Everyone really needs to realize this in today's society.
Mandy, I agree with you that Chris really brought this topic to life. He covered some great details that I was also not aware of. Your blog hit some great points that went along with life and Christ! Good job!
Hannah, I enjoyed your relation to the bs essay from the other week. I feel this connection was benefical in helping others understand how you interpreted the podcast and message as a whole.
Cassidy, I thought your mention of science was very interesting, since the church and scientific revelations often clash. I also like the mention of the story with the fork, I find it suited what you were trying to tell us, through Chris's example.
Relativism: the silent epidemic sweeping the nation. The thing is, no one knows what is happening because they have no idea what relativism is. The standard oxford dictionary definition for relativism is “knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute”. This means that everything is not real or true. Relativists tell people that if they want something to be true, then it is. This is an awful way to look at life, not even from a catholic perspective. This is because it undermines the whole standard truths that humans were made on. The first thing is that relativism takes the meaning out of life. Looking at life in this way, no one can explain why humans are here today. Since there is no true meaning of life, humans will then try to make up a reason to live. This can be anything from sex to drugs to alcohol. Relativism harms the body in the same aspect that faith heals the body. The only things seen as true are those scientifically proven. Something everyone can look at and agree that this is true. With the sayings like, do whatever makes you happy, and do whatever you want, life is being sucked out of those people. Their life then becomes empty, wanting something to do with their life. It takes away the hope and joy of someone. This is because they do not believe in an all-powerful God like we do. The only way for joy and hope to come into our lives is through God. Relativism also destroys natural law. If all truths are relative to each and every person, how does anyone know what is the difference between right and wrong? Relativism also makes humans easily manipulated. This is because if there is no concrete right and wrong, where do any laws come from? Where does anything come from? The rights relativism gives humans are the rights that we as human beings are supposed to have anyway. This is why there are no rights to life anywhere. In this society, truth is not the thing that governs us. The thing that governs us is choice. When looking at this podcast or any other writing on relativism, one would automatically see the wrongs of it. The thing is, since we have grown up with it taking hold, there seems to be no wrong with this. If someone just out of the blue started to act like a relativist, then someone might notice and act out on it. But, relativism has turned into an everyday encounter. Three main points about relativism are we are not God, it does not work in real life, and it contradicts itself. It is true for everybody that nothing is true for everybody. When this makes sense to anyone, please let me know. Relativism is supposed to be out there to make people more tolerant of others. Do you ever see Catholics going on about how people should be judging while judging others? Do you ever see relativists telling people to love everyone, regardless of who they are, what they have done, or, how they came to be who they are now? Jesus is the solution to every problem. He said that he is the way, the truth, and the life. This is the truest statement of the world. He said that he is the way, not a way, not her way, not your way. He said he is the way. He is the one and only way, truth, and life.
I like how you mentioned that no one really knows what relativism is, because nobody does. To me, even an explanation of relativism doesn't calrify anything for me because it is such an incorrect idea.
I really liked when you stated why relativism doesn't work in the real world. It gives much light into why it fails as fundamental philosophy. I think you really nailed that point.
Relativism, as explained by this podcast, is the worst enemy of our society today. I am still completely unsure of the real meaning of relativism, because it seems as though it can be defined in so many ways. It seems to me as though it is just the belief that whatever we think is true is true, and we have a create our own opinions, morals, and rules based on our opinion of truth. Also, it means that how we act out our beliefs and what we think is true is always okay because that is what we believe. The idea of relativism relates to our daily life because it, in a way, states that you can ur actions, no matter what you do, because you believed it was right at the time and that your actions coincided with what you believed to be your moral values. Basically, everything you do in life is acceptable because your actions reflect your thoughts of the way things are. This leads into how you can live your life and the meaning of life. If you believe that our only purpose in life is to do whatever we want so long as we are happy, then that is what you are allowed to do, by the meaning of relativism. If we want to sin and hurt others, that is okay because it is what we wanted to do and it made us happy. This idea contradicts itself because the fact that something made someone else happy does not mean that it is right. The speaker in this podcast used the example of 9/11. The pilots of the planes on 9/11 probably felt like they were doing the right thing, and that made them happy, so by the meaning of relativism, it was okay. It was not okay. One cannot watch the events of 9/11 and begin to think for one moment that it was right. Yes, it was what someone else believed, and it made that person happy, but it was in no way, shape, or form right under any circumstances. As far as how relativism has been affecting me, I am not sure. It is a scary thought to think that I don't know how it is affecting me because I am so used to being around it 24/7. And in the same way, if I am made aware of it and I stand up against it, I am looked down upon by society and considered unaccepting and incorrect. In relation back to Frankfurt's ideas, relativism is complete bullshit. Its definition can be formed into a paradox that gives way to all the flaws in the theory of relativism. Relativism has a definition that can be twisted into any meaning for the use of any person, giving it a false meaning. It is bullshit because it can be abused and misused to the point where anything goes, no matter how bad it truly is.
I like how you relate relativism as being the worst enemy in today's society. I also like that you are still exploring the true meaning of relativism, this shows that you are interested in what you are saying and not going on some mindless tangent.
Relativism, the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture and society can be interpreted in many different ways, but relativism is an enemy to the Catholic faith because it makes us believe in our own morals instead of those present in church teaching. This talk given by Chris Stefanick outlines why this belief is an enemy to humans and to God. His argument presents the meaning of life related to to relativism and how relativism destroys the meaning of the life God gave us. By believing in false morals we are bypassing God and God is who wants us to live a true meaningful life. We cannot synthesize our own moral truths, they come from God. If we could, God would not be needed for anything and society would be perfect. We know that this is not the case. Society needs God and it is anything but perfect. Christ is who presents us with the correct and moral way to live, it is not the beliefs of some ordinary man or what our society says is correct. If we followed these morals our world would be no more. If someone were to believe that everything is relative, would that make it ok for him to do wrong and have it morally acceptable. Without God, yes, he could, and the society believing in these morals would be in serious trouble. The church has an effective set of morals because they come from God. These morals tell the difference between right and wrong in a complex and very effective way. People can choose to follow them, or be deemed a sinner. In order to recover from breaking these morals that person would need to be forgiven by God. Those who choose to ignore God's morals will not be saved by his grace. This can be extended to modern day matters like that of abortion. This is once again a question of God and relativism. Those who choose pro-choice are relative, and those who choose life are morally correct. These ideas of relativism can be tied into the the essay "On Bullshit" by Harry Frankfurt. The relativism is essentially the bullshit, and church teaching is the truth. If Catholics believe that the practice of relativism is bullshit then they can believe in what God bids as morally correct. These people in turn will live better lives because the church's morals save.
I really liked how you added in the part about obtaining eternal life and how it would be impossible without true morality, morality from God. I really think that added some power to your paper. Good work.
Morality is not a standard to be set by the mind of the one whom the standards will effect. Morality is to be set by having a greater understanding of God who in turn gives us the guide to living a moral life. This is what I believe Chris Stephanic is arguing in addition to the reality that relativism fails as a fundamental philosophy. One might say how can philosophy fail if it's simply reasoning or a thought. Well as Chris argues, a philosophy is thinking that should apply in real life, which it does not, and the fact that it is a philosophy totally contradicts the scientific approach to relativism. Also, relativism fails to set standards for a moral life because it is making rules for yourself. Relativism makes it is easy to make excuses for oneself and it is just as easy to justify anything that might be wrong because there is no set of morals. I really feel that Chris emphasizes that point. Without a set of morals, there will be no morals at all. I believe this podcast really related to the article on bullshit by Harry Frankfurt. Relativism like bullshit is simply concealing reality. A relativist committing a crime knows morally it is wrong, but there are so many reasons he can convince himself it was right. That is definition of bullshit. That conceals the fact that he knows he did wrong even if it was for a "good reason." Another similarity of the two is that they both negatively affect the world by hiding and destroying the truth. This is how I feel the effects of both today in my life. There is so much on the media or social media that hides what is fact and consoles what is immoral. Many adds and articles about sex and how it is key to being happy give people a sense of need for it, even though they know it is not moral. It is in combination with bullshit that I feel relativism affects me, and other young people the most. Our society gives us a set of morals that may not be right but ones that will feel right, but they fail to reveal or they conceal the truth about how each and everyone of these morals will affect one's life in a bad way. Relativism and bullshit need to stop in order for the truth to come out. The truth that says we are not allowed to pick and choose what actions we do are moral. It is up to a powerful, an almighty God to set our standards for morality. It is our job then to listen to these standards, the standards God revealed to Moses in he Ten Commandments. This will lead us to true happiness. It will lead us to new doors that relativism cannot.
Honestly, I did not even know what relativism meant until I heard this podcast, and I am even more unfamiliar with how it is affecting me. After listening to Chris talk so passionately about this so called "relativism," I started to understand what it was and I saw how relativism denies itself. How can all thoughts and opinions be true if they are not all the same? He argues that relativism takes away not only the meaning of life, but also the meaning of faith, makes morality a matter of personal taste, and makes us easy to manipulate. The issue at hand, though, is that life and faith do have meaning, morality is not flexible, and we need to be firm in our faith. These are all problems that cannot be answered by science. They will not be proven with a scientific study, but all of them can be found through the teachings of the Catholic Church. Laws cannot be changed and rules cannot be broken just because someone thinks that they are wrong. The question of right and wrong are black and white, not just shades of gray. We do not get to choose what is right based on what feels good for us. For example, I cannot kill someone because it makes me feel good and I think that there is no problem with killing. That is not acceptable; I do not get to make the rules in that way. Morality does not work that way, and it never has, but relativism has molded society into thinking this way. Also, time and time again, people ask what is the meaning of life and the purpose for faith. This answer can simply be found through Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. Lastly, it makes the general public easy to manipulate. If our faith is not in God and if our morals do not come from Him, then who makes the rules? The laws and standards will come from who ever has the most power and control over the people. This will mean that the rules will change, the person in power will be different, and we will never find peace. Yes, all of theses issues can also be answered by relativism, but deep down we know that if they are answered in that way, they will be faulty. I think that for that reason, if Professor Harry Frankfurt were to describe relativism he would say that it is bull. The fact that it is not concrete in any way makes me agree with Frankfurt even more than I did after reading his essay. Also, in the same way that there is no truth behind bull, there is not any truth behind relativism, making both worse than lying. Chris says that people like myself, do not question relativism because it is everywhere, and I grew up around it. So many different people try to be God and this causes people to loss sight of what is true. Relativism needs to be questioned, and that needs to start with us, the youth of this nation, in order to find true peace, not only for ourselves, but for all of humanity.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how you related last weeks essay with this weeks podcast! I also agree with you in saying that professor Harry Frankfurt would think that the idea of relativism is bull. I also enjoy your concluding sentence of your blog. It really wrapped it up altogether! Good blog!
DeleteI didn't admit it in my essay but I also was a bit cloudy on the subject of relativism, it was very good that you came out stating that. Even though his talk was about religion I thought you did a very good job relating relativism to Gods will.
DeleteRelativism is defined as the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute. Chris Stefanick starts is talk out with talking about his children. He says that one of his children stuck a fork in an electrical socket, because he was very open minded, but now his mind is closed on forks and light sockets because of what happened. He says that "a lot of times people say that we have to be open minded about everything, but it's good to close your mind on certain things." When you discover the truth about something your mind is actually suppose to close on it. I didn't really understand what relativism was until the end of the podcast. Relativism has a lot to do about truth. Chris states that truth is defined in the dictionary as something that conforms to reality. Everyone makes up there own truth. Truth is basically relative to whatever you or I think in our everyday lives. Chris argues that relativism takes away not only the meaning of life, but also the meaning of faith, and makes our own personal issues moral and and turns us into different controlling type of people. The bigger issue is that our own faith and our own life have more meaning that we think it does, and we need our morality to be the biggest part of our faith. All of these are problems that science cannot answer. People believe that a scientific study and prove them right, but there wrong, all of these questions can be answered through our Catholic and the teachings that come though God. A lot of people think that certain things are there whole life, for example sports, there is more to life that just those things. Going off of professor Harry Frankfurt essay, I think that he was feel that relativism is bullshit. When Harry Frankfurt defined lying, he defined it as saying that it is all false and there is no actual truth. I think that he would feel the exact same about relativism.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you use Chris's kid and his open mindedness. This is a really good example of how we should like our lives. Once we know something to be absolute we should close our mind to that. I agree that truth is relative to everyone. I think that you should have found a better way to tie it to last weeks essay. You sort of just stuck it on the end, but I really enjoyed your thoughts on Chris's talk about relativism.
DeleteI think the way you related the essay and with Chris's talk today was really good becusse the two ideas can go hand in hand, but could have used a bit more explanation. I really enjoyed how you added the part about how sports are life to many people when it truly cannot be. Sports are well liked around our town and I think that is an important message to be spread so great job!
DeleteCass, I thought you did a great job revealing Chris's message with the ideas of a closed and open mind. You even included an example in your writing which helped to create a little bit of imagery. Overall you summed up relativism in a fair way! Keep up the good work!
DeleteThere is so much that Chris Stefanick covers in his talk, all of these things relate to society today and every human as an individual. His main argument is about the falsity of relativism. He becomes very passionate in many points during his talk about people's beliefs. Basically he starts by saying that relativism is wrong because it implies that everyone can think what they want, and that people are wrong for standing up for what is right because everyone else might not think it's right as well. Chris explains that we see this all the time in our government today and in the term "politically correct". Today in society we can only debate about things such as math or science because if actual morals or justice are brought up, people having controversial thoughts can now get in trouble for trying to stick up for what is right. He also brings up the topic of abortion and how people use the term "choice". America is supposed to be set on the principle of freedom and follow the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The legalization of abortion completely contradicts these rights. Relativist don't acknowledge this because they think that no one can tell people what they should be allowed to do or what is right or wrong. Basically in order to be a relativist, everyone has to agree that no one can agree on everything. When you lay it out like that, it just sounds crazy but that is what people believe. Today people can actually sue one another for being associated with hatful acts or speaking. In other words, governments recognize someone's feelings being hurt as a crime. All of this relates back to religion and that is what Chris showed in his talk. If someone knows that Jesus is the way and the truth, they are not able to show this because people get too upset about not getting to think exactly as they want, instead of just looking at fact and realizing that Jesus was a real living person. Too often today, people listen to their feelings and relativist believe this is the right way to live. In his talk, Chris used the example that a boy told him he understood how Chris felt about chastity but he felt that having sex with his girlfriend was the right thing and that he was happy doing it. Just because something makes you happy or feels right does not mean that it is Gods will. God gave us the Ten Commandments and explained the difference between right and wrong. Relativism in society try's to imply that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs about right and wrong, even though history shows that God has given us the answer and has guided people's lives for hundreds of years. The relativism talk relates to the essay on bullshit because they both ruin society. Relativism takes away from the essence of life because everyone is entitled to their own morals. Bullshit ruins conversations because of people thinking that they know about things but they are actually just making stuff up. This goes against true morals because people make their own truth in the process of bullshitting just as relativist make their own truth about everything. Relativism effects every person today. I am fortunate enough to go to a private school, but in public schools, God is not allowed to be discussed because of how others might feel or think. I along with many others fall into the temptation of relativism. Sometimes if you don't want to acknowledge that something is wrong, you can just tell yourself that you are allowed to think what ever you want. Even though this helps cope with wrong doings, it still makes them wrong. Just as Chris explains, God is the one truth and all people should follow him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with how you said that sometimes we don't want to acknowledge something that may be wrong so we try to think that it is ok anyway. This happens way too often in our society and by looking to God and seeing the truth, we can come to avoiding this issue.
DeleteI like your idea that relativism is a lot like political correctness. You have a point that we con really only talk about certain things before the conversation is completely shut down.
DeleteBefore I had listened to Chris's speech on relativism, I didn't have the clearest idea on what it truly meant. Just by looking at the word itself, I took out it's base of "relative" which makes me think of our own individual beliefs. When someone claims a topic is relative, it means that it's up to an individual's perception or opinion of that concept to determine it's value or validity. Upon sitting through the podcast, I feel it was made evident what Chris's feelings on relativism were right away. From a Catholic Church perspective, he was totally and wholly against the idea of such a contradictory nature. Personally, I found the portion about his relatives particularly intriguing. All the while he'd been spouting off examples of immature minds and how people were incorrect, and the he comes out and says that he believes the Catholic faith is the only true faith. Chris ventures on to explain that his relative is Jewish and they get along fine and such, but I find it difficult to understand why he incorporated his own relative thoughts into a talk that was almost entirely about non-relativism ideals. It was at that point that I was truly confused, because he contradicted himself, and I couldn't tell whether it was purposeful or otherwise. Nevertheless, I found it unsurprising that the speaker went on to talk about topics relating to chastity and abortion, but he did bring up some interesting points. In the case of pro-choice, he claimed that most people didn't like the idea of abortion even though they supported the choice. His point in that specific example was how fickle relativism is as a whole, because a person who believes in it is constantly contradicting themselves. Another example Chris referred to was his talk with a young man after a chastity talk that he'd given. The youth claimed that he thought it was fine if he was happy and had sex with his girlfriend all the time because "it worked for him". Chris listened patiently and then went on to challenge the boy using the very same logic, imploring him to think about this from Hitler's standpoint. If killing and imprisoning Jews was "good for him" or made him feel good, was it a just thing to do? By that logic, was killing an acceptable task? The flustered boy immediately responded with something akin to the phrase "that's different". Is it different? What good does relativism make you when you don't even know what it is that you're believing in? Again, by agreeing with such a wishy-washy subject you're merely contradicting yourself over and over again. In a sense, it's like walking in a circle, you get nowhere because there's nowhere to go. Relativism can cause a person to become lost within themselves, because they lack true order of any kind.
ReplyDeleteNice job bringing in Hitler. It really makes the topic come to light, as anyone can clearly see that is an awful thing to be doing if hitler was doing it when he killed thousands of people.
DeleteI enjoyed the tie to Hitler because it is easily related to by most people because it is hard to have not heard of the horrible things Hitler did. I also liked the ideas of chastity and abortion because abortion sometimes happens because of lack of the other, it is a great example to support the author's argument and your argument.
DeleteRelativism is a major problem in our world today. It is a problem that I did not even realize was occurring in our society until I partook in a closer examination. Essentially, I could partially see the issue, but Chris really brought this to life. Chris argues that relativism destroys the meaning of life and allows moral issues to become a matter of opinion or that morals are just what people are comfortable with or what works for them in their certain stage of life. He argues that in matters of faith, especially, relativism is detrimental. He provided the point to argue relativism by explaining simply that we are not God. Therefore, we cannot make the truth or change the truth. There is only one truth and that is Jesus Christ. Through Christ we can come to understand the truth between religions and other opposing ideas because everyone's thoughts or opinions cannot be true. He also states that not everyone is 100% wrong or 100% right. Quite frankly, that person who is always right would have to be perfect which nobody is. This idea of relativism allows people to think that they can do whatever they want because they can make their own truths. I can see that in my life I do some questionable things and I will say to myself that I can do things that may not be right because everyone else is. This shows how easily it is to become wrapped up into the evil affects of society. It also allows people to think that rules do not apply to them. For instance, one cannot think that it is ok to rob a bank if they feel like that is something they would want to do. Chris' talk is similar to the essay we read last week because they both are showing the truth through faith. They explain that the truth cannot be changed by the people because it is created by God. Both arguments were on controversial topics and explained the truth within them which were that abortions are not the answer and that God is the truth and that we cannot just make up truth. This brings me to the point that Chris stated. He states that we must be confident when standing up for our faith. Even if others do not believe in the truth, we must. We cannot avoid the truth of God in order to spare someone's feelings. This is the danger of relativism.
ReplyDeleteI like the way that you compared this podcast to last weeks article. I never really saw last weeks essay in regards to faith. I think you could have used a stronger conclusion sentence or two because your blog was so complex that ending with something more powerful would have been beneficial. Also, I agree that it is a huge problem, but yet I didn't realize it either until I listened to this talk.
DeleteI think that the way that you related this podcast to last weeks essay was great! I also didn't think of relating last weeks essay to faith! That was a very good and strong point in your blog this week! I also liked how you ended your blog with saying that relativism is dangerous! Great blog Mandi!
DeleteRelativism is very apparent in today's society and that is very unfortunate. I agree with how you said Chris brought it to life. You talk about the difference of right and wrong and I also highlighted that in my blog. I couldn't agree more with how you said God is the truth. Everyone really needs to realize this in today's society.
DeleteMandy, I agree with you that Chris really brought this topic to life. He covered some great details that I was also not aware of. Your blog hit some great points that went along with life and Christ! Good job!
DeleteI really like how you related this article to you and your decisions as a person. I think it helps give a better understanding of the topic
DeleteHannah, I enjoyed your relation to the bs essay from the other week. I feel this connection was benefical in helping others understand how you interpreted the podcast and message as a whole.
ReplyDeleteCassidy, I thought your mention of science was very interesting, since the church and scientific revelations often clash. I also like the mention of the story with the fork, I find it suited what you were trying to tell us, through Chris's example.
ReplyDeleteRelativism: the silent epidemic sweeping the nation. The thing is, no one knows what is happening because they have no idea what relativism is. The standard oxford dictionary definition for relativism is “knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute”. This means that everything is not real or true. Relativists tell people that if they want something to be true, then it is. This is an awful way to look at life, not even from a catholic perspective. This is because it undermines the whole standard truths that humans were made on. The first thing is that relativism takes the meaning out of life. Looking at life in this way, no one can explain why humans are here today. Since there is no true meaning of life, humans will then try to make up a reason to live. This can be anything from sex to drugs to alcohol. Relativism harms the body in the same aspect that faith heals the body. The only things seen as true are those scientifically proven. Something everyone can look at and agree that this is true. With the sayings like, do whatever makes you happy, and do whatever you want, life is being sucked out of those people. Their life then becomes empty, wanting something to do with their life. It takes away the hope and joy of someone. This is because they do not believe in an all-powerful God like we do. The only way for joy and hope to come into our lives is through God. Relativism also destroys natural law. If all truths are relative to each and every person, how does anyone know what is the difference between right and wrong? Relativism also makes humans easily manipulated. This is because if there is no concrete right and wrong, where do any laws come from? Where does anything come from? The rights relativism gives humans are the rights that we as human beings are supposed to have anyway. This is why there are no rights to life anywhere. In this society, truth is not the thing that governs us. The thing that governs us is choice. When looking at this podcast or any other writing on relativism, one would automatically see the wrongs of it. The thing is, since we have grown up with it taking hold, there seems to be no wrong with this. If someone just out of the blue started to act like a relativist, then someone might notice and act out on it. But, relativism has turned into an everyday encounter. Three main points about relativism are we are not God, it does not work in real life, and it contradicts itself. It is true for everybody that nothing is true for everybody. When this makes sense to anyone, please let me know. Relativism is supposed to be out there to make people more tolerant of others. Do you ever see Catholics going on about how people should be judging while judging others? Do you ever see relativists telling people to love everyone, regardless of who they are, what they have done, or, how they came to be who they are now? Jesus is the solution to every problem. He said that he is the way, the truth, and the life. This is the truest statement of the world. He said that he is the way, not a way, not her way, not your way. He said he is the way. He is the one and only way, truth, and life.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned that no one really knows what relativism is, because nobody does. To me, even an explanation of relativism doesn't calrify anything for me because it is such an incorrect idea.
DeleteI really liked when you stated why relativism doesn't work in the real world. It gives much light into why it fails as fundamental philosophy. I think you really nailed that point.
DeleteRelativism, as explained by this podcast, is the worst enemy of our society today. I am still completely unsure of the real meaning of relativism, because it seems as though it can be defined in so many ways. It seems to me as though it is just the belief that whatever we think is true is true, and we have a create our own opinions, morals, and rules based on our opinion of truth. Also, it means that how we act out our beliefs and what we think is true is always okay because that is what we believe. The idea of relativism relates to our daily life because it, in a way, states that you can ur actions, no matter what you do, because you believed it was right at the time and that your actions coincided with what you believed to be your moral values. Basically, everything you do in life is acceptable because your actions reflect your thoughts of the way things are. This leads into how you can live your life and the meaning of life. If you believe that our only purpose in life is to do whatever we want so long as we are happy, then that is what you are allowed to do, by the meaning of relativism. If we want to sin and hurt others, that is okay because it is what we wanted to do and it made us happy. This idea contradicts itself because the fact that something made someone else happy does not mean that it is right. The speaker in this podcast used the example of 9/11. The pilots of the planes on 9/11 probably felt like they were doing the right thing, and that made them happy, so by the meaning of relativism, it was okay. It was not okay. One cannot watch the events of 9/11 and begin to think for one moment that it was right. Yes, it was what someone else believed, and it made that person happy, but it was in no way, shape, or form right under any circumstances. As far as how relativism has been affecting me, I am not sure. It is a scary thought to think that I don't know how it is affecting me because I am so used to being around it 24/7. And in the same way, if I am made aware of it and I stand up against it, I am looked down upon by society and considered unaccepting and incorrect. In relation back to Frankfurt's ideas, relativism is complete bullshit. Its definition can be formed into a paradox that gives way to all the flaws in the theory of relativism. Relativism has a definition that can be twisted into any meaning for the use of any person, giving it a false meaning. It is bullshit because it can be abused and misused to the point where anything goes, no matter how bad it truly is.
ReplyDeleteI like how you relate relativism as being the worst enemy in today's society. I also like that you are still exploring the true meaning of relativism, this shows that you are interested in what you are saying and not going on some mindless tangent.
DeleteRelativism, the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture and society can be interpreted in many different ways, but relativism is an enemy to the Catholic faith because it makes us believe in our own morals instead of those present in church teaching. This talk given by Chris Stefanick outlines why this belief is an enemy to humans and to God. His argument presents the meaning of life related to to relativism and how relativism destroys the meaning of the life God gave us. By believing in false morals we are bypassing God and God is who wants us to live a true meaningful life. We cannot synthesize our own moral truths, they come from God. If we could, God would not be needed for anything and society would be perfect. We know that this is not the case. Society needs God and it is anything but perfect. Christ is who presents us with the correct and moral way to live, it is not the beliefs of some ordinary man or what our society says is correct. If we followed these morals our world would be no more. If someone were to believe that everything is relative, would that make it ok for him to do wrong and have it morally acceptable. Without God, yes, he could, and the society believing in these morals would be in serious trouble. The church has an effective set of morals because they come from God. These morals tell the difference between right and wrong in a complex and very effective way. People can choose to follow them, or be deemed a sinner. In order to recover from breaking these morals that person would need to be forgiven by God. Those who choose to ignore God's morals will not be saved by his grace. This can be extended to modern day matters like that of abortion. This is once again a question of God and relativism. Those who choose pro-choice are relative, and those who choose life are morally correct. These ideas of relativism can be tied into the the essay "On Bullshit" by Harry Frankfurt. The relativism is essentially the bullshit, and church teaching is the truth. If Catholics believe that the practice of relativism is bullshit then they can believe in what God bids as morally correct. These people in turn will live better lives because the church's morals save.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you added in the part about obtaining eternal life and how it would be impossible without true morality, morality from God. I really think that added some power to your paper. Good work.
DeleteMorality is not a standard to be set by the mind of the one whom the standards will effect. Morality is to be set by having a greater understanding of God who in turn gives us the guide to living a moral life. This is what I believe Chris Stephanic is arguing in addition to the reality that relativism fails as a fundamental philosophy. One might say how can philosophy fail if it's simply reasoning or a thought. Well as Chris argues, a philosophy is thinking that should apply in real life, which it does not, and the fact that it is a philosophy totally contradicts the scientific approach to relativism. Also, relativism fails to set standards for a moral life because it is making rules for yourself. Relativism makes it is easy to make excuses for oneself and it is just as easy to justify anything that might be wrong because there is no set of morals. I really feel that Chris emphasizes that point. Without a set of morals, there will be no morals at all. I believe this podcast really related to the article on bullshit by Harry Frankfurt. Relativism like bullshit is simply concealing reality. A relativist committing a crime knows morally it is wrong, but there are so many reasons he can convince himself it was right. That is definition of bullshit. That conceals the fact that he knows he did wrong even if it was for a "good reason." Another similarity of the two is that they both negatively affect the world by hiding and destroying the truth. This is how I feel the effects of both today in my life. There is so much on the media or social media that hides what is fact and consoles what is immoral. Many adds and articles about sex and how it is key to being happy give people a sense of need for it, even though they know it is not moral. It is in combination with bullshit that I feel relativism affects me, and other young people the most. Our society gives us a set of morals that may not be right but ones that will feel right, but they fail to reveal or they conceal the truth about how each and everyone of these morals will affect one's life in a bad way. Relativism and bullshit need to stop in order for the truth to come out. The truth that says we are not allowed to pick and choose what actions we do are moral. It is up to a powerful, an almighty God to set our standards for morality. It is our job then to listen to these standards, the standards God revealed to Moses in he Ten Commandments. This will lead us to true happiness. It will lead us to new doors that relativism cannot.
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