Are there absolutes or is everything relative?

The Difference Between Absolute Truth and Relative Truth

Are there absolutes, or is everything relative? Yes, there are such things as absolutes, but there are also things that are relative. But you see, if everything were relative, then it would be absolutely true that everything is relative, and that would be self-refuting.

So saying that everything is relative can't be true. Likewise, if everything were absolutely true, then we couldn't have such things as personal preferences, or things that change. Relative truths can be things dependent upon different people.

That which is absolute is always true. That which is relative is not necessarily always true. For example, it is always true that the positive number 7 is greater than the positive number 5. It is always true that something cannot bring itself into existence.

On the other hand, one person may believe that blue is a better color than green, where another person may disagree. In this case, what is true for one person is not true for another. Therefore, there can be truths that are relative and that change.

The person who believes that blue is a better color than green may change his or her mind later on. Unfortunately, more and more people are not able to distinguish between absolute truths and relative truths, and they put their feelings and preferences above absolutes to make them more palatable.

A typical example is when someone would say that it is true for you that Jesus is the only way to God, but to a Muslim, Muhammad would be the only way. Such statements ignore the logical possibilities of having two only ways to God.

There are absolutes, and there are things that are relative, and you must learn how to distinguish between the two, because we don't want to have arguments where absolutes and relatives are mixed up so that nothing can be known for sure.

Be absolutely sure about what it is you know.