Pluralism (philosophy)

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Pluralism is the name of entirely unrelated positions in opposition to monism in metaphysics and epistemology. In metaphysics, pluralism claims a plurality of basic substances making up the world; in epistemology, pluralism claims that there are several conflicting but still true descriptions of the world.

[edit] Metaphysics

The concept of pluralism in philosophy indicates the belief that reality consists of many different substances.^[1] It sits in contrast with the concepts of monism and dualism in metaphysics. Platonism can be seen as a kind of pluralism.

[edit] Epistemology

Pluralism in epistemology is the position that there is not one consistent set of truths about the world, but rather many. Often this is associated with pragmatism, cultural relativism, and conceptual relativism. In the case of conceptual relativism, the argument claims that since there is no right way to carve up the world into concepts (e.g. what counts as an element), there will be several mutually exclusive complete and true descriptions of the world. In the case of cultural relativism, the argument claims that since truth is relative to culture, there will be several mutually exclusive complete and true descriptions of the world. In the case of pragmatism, the argument claims that since truth is connected to successful action, and success is connected to the goals set by our interests, the correct set of truths will be relative to our interests. Hilary Putnam (a harsh critic of cultural relativism) is fond of the example, "how many objects are there in the world?" Putnam argues that what counts as an object cannot be determined objectively but rather only relative to someone's interests, therefore the true number of objects in the world will change relative to whose interests we have in sight.

[edit] Hylic pluralism

is related to Poortman's theosophical beliefs - bringing religious and philosophical understandings together.

[edit] See also

• Anekantavada
• Pantheism
• Panarchism
• Value-pluralism
• Pluralism in political philosophy
• Pluralism in political theory
• Nelson Goodman
• Legal pluralism
• Economic pluralism
• Postmodernism - which often includes epistemological pluralism

[edit] Notes

1. ^ A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names

[edit] References

• Philosophyweb.com, A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names. Accessed 13 February 2007.

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