Universality (philosophy) - Wikipedia Universality (philosophy) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search For the theological view, see universalism. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Universality" philosophy – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) In philosophy, universality or absolutism is the idea that universal facts exist and can be progressively discovered, as opposed to relativism, which asserts that all facts are merely relative to one's perspective.[1][2] Absolutism and relativism have been explored at length in contemporary analytic philosophy. This article also discusses Kantian and Platonist notions of "universal", which are considered by most philosophers to be separate notions. Contents 1 Universality in ethics 2 Universality about truth 3 Universals in metaphysics 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Universality in ethics[edit] Main article: Moral universalism When used in the context of ethics, the meaning of universal refers to that which is true for "all similarly situated individuals."[3] Rights, for example in natural rights, or in the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, for those heavily influenced by the philosophy of the Enlightenment and its conception of a human nature, could be considered universal. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights is inspired by such principles. Universality about truth[edit] In logic, or the consideration of valid arguments, a proposition is said to have universality if it can be conceived as being true in all possible contexts without creating a contradiction. Some philosophers have referred to such propositions as universalizable. A truth is considered to be universal if it is logically valid in and also beyond all times and places.[citation needed] Hence a universal truth is considered logically to transcend the state of the physical universe, whose order is derived from such truths. In this case, such a truth is seen as eternal or as absolute. The patterns and relations expressed by mathematics in ways that are consistent with the fields of logic and mathematics are typically considered truths of universal scope. This is not to say that universality is limited to mathematics, since it is also used in philosophy, theology, and other pursuits.[citation needed] The relativist conception of truth denies the existence of some or all universal truths, particularly ethical ones (as moral relativism). Though usage of the word truth has various domains of application, relativism does not necessarily apply to all of them.[citation needed] Universals in metaphysics[edit] Main article: Universal (metaphysics) In metaphysics, a universal is a proposed type, property, or relation which can be instantiated by many different particulars. While universals are related to the concept of universality, the concept is importantly distinct; see the main page on universals for a full treatment of the topic. See also[edit] Philosophy portal Natural law Natural and legal rights Moral universalism Universal law References[edit] ^ "Relativism". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 13 July 2020. ^ Bonnett, A. (2005). Anti-racism. Routledge. ^ "Philosophical Dictionary: Ubermensch-Utilitarianism". www.philosophypages.com. Archived from the original on 2007-08-20. External links[edit] "Unesco website : philosophy and ethics" (PDF). v t e Part of a series on universalism In philosophy Concepts and Theories Moral universalism Universality (philosophy) Universalizability In religion Baháʼí Faith Beliefs Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion Christianity Beliefs Apocatastasis Trinitarian Universalism Universal reconciliation Groups Christian Universalist Association International Council of Unitarians and Universalists Primitive Baptist Universalist Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship Universalist Church of America Hinduism Groups Neo-Vedanta New Thought Groups Church of Divine Science Religious Science Unity Church In spirituality Concepts and Theories Nondualism Perennial philosophy Theosophy Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Universality_(philosophy)&oldid=998069512" Categories: Philosophical concepts Metaphysics Hidden categories: Articles needing additional references from May 2007 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020 Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version Languages العربية Български Deutsch Español Euskara Français हिन्दी Italiano Latina Lietuvių Lumbaart Nederlands Occitan Português Română Shqip Simple English Slovenčina Suomi Svenska Türkçe 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 3 January 2021, at 17:36 (UTC). 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