The Rescue from Relativism: Two Failed Attempts and an Alternative Strategy

Widespread acceptance of the notion of relativism has been prompted by post-positivist philosophers’ discussions of the role that paradigms play in empirical inquiry and their claims that empirical evidence is inadequate for settling paradigm disputes. Problems with relativism, in turn, have encouraged certain epistemologists and methodologists to resurrect aspects of local positivism. In this article, the author critiques attempts to resurrect aspects of positivism and argues that the work of certain post-positivist philosophers of science–in particular, Toulmin’s discussions of the role that purpose plays in rational decisionmaking–provides a more adequate response to the problems associated with relativism.