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One of the longest- running debates in philosophy is whether it is possible to discover any objective truth, or whether all knowledge is relative to the subject.
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INTRODUCTION: Is it possible to discover any objective truth, or is all knowledge subject to relativism? In this essay, I aim to provide evidence through the exploration of early Greek philosophy literature, that it is possible to discover some objective knowledge. I will briefly describe the development of philosophy and look at the various theories of objective knowledge and relativism, with emphasis on philosophers such as, Protagoras, Socrates, and Plato. I will pose a number of questions including "Does all knowledge come from experience"? "Can relativism sustain high moral standards"? These questions and others will I hope lead to a better understanding of these two perspectives. "...Logical thought is alone true knowledge" (Plato, Republic) Brief history of philosophy: Before philosophy took root in ancient Greece, the view of the world was very different. People saw themselves as the centre of reality. The Greek Gods were very much like them and took an avid interest in what they did in their everyday lives. The world was a place for human beings to conquer and explore. The first philosophers saw the world in a new light. They did not think reality necessarily centred around human beings. People were just a small part of a bigger picture. The world was a source of questions: How does the world work? What is it made of? This study of the world became known as cosmology, it had little to do with people's everyday lives. It progressed through various theories with Thales believing that the world was based on water, while Heraclitus said it was made of fire, whereas Pythagoras stated it was an embodiment of numbers. Although initially these philosophers focused on cosmology, it was not long before they began concentrating on human-orientated ideas. This made way for a group of philosophers known as the Sophists. SOPHISTS: Their main concern was political issues and how individuals could gain from interaction with others. They believed that people should do whatever it takes to become successful, and this form of behaviour could be different for different people. This is known as relativism. The Sophists were as such the first relativist philosophers. PROTAGORAS AND REALTIVISM: Protagoras was a sophist who thought that the Gods were inaccessible to human knowledge. In modern terms we might say that he displays the attitude of a 'Secular humanist' who is agnostic about God, and who promotes human freedom and responsibility (Cleary, 2003: 3-6) The most famous work by Protagoras was entitled "Truth". In this piece he seems to deny the possibility of any objective truth, this is reflected in the following quote: "Man is the measure of all things, of things that are as to how they are, and of things that are not as to how they are not" The overall meaning of this quote suggests that whatever appears true to each person is actually true for that person.
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