An accomplished entrepreneur and real estate executive drawing on nearly four decades of experience as a real estate broker, Larry Ansell has owned and served as the president of Lazarus Realty Services since 2005. Outside his professional work, Larry J Ansell holds a PhD in metaphysics, and is interested in exploring various philosophical concepts.
One of the major branches of study in philosophy is relativism, which pertains to perceptions of truth. While it varies among schools of thought, the basics of relativism state that the reality of a concept varies depending on the framework it is placed in, such as a specific culture, religion, or language. These frameworks divide relativism into subtypes like cultural relativism, cognitive relativism, and moral relativism. Relativist thought can narrow its focus even further to an individual's unique understanding, which is known as subjectivism. However, it also posits that no single understanding of the truth is more valid than others.
For instance, one person may believe in the existence of witchcraft, another may not. Since the former may be informed by a belief system that acknowledges magic, and the latter may come from a system that denies it, their respective perceptions of situations are influenced by their cultural assumptions about reality. In extreme situations, relativist thought may create conflict by trying to reconcile contradicting mindsets; however, a tempered understanding of it can help foster broad-mindedness and acceptance of the different stories people have.
