Since humankind started to flourish, there have been many beliefs and philosophies. These theories or philosophies tend to have similarities and differences.
The two mainstream philosophies that have shaped the world today are Absolutism and Scepticism. Both approaches are different at the very core. Differences include the core values, people who made the world understand these concepts, and how they apply to everyday phenomena.
Absolutism vs Skepticism
The main difference between Absolutism and Scepticism is that Absolutism is the branch of philosophy that if something is said to be a truth, it is absolute and cannot be changed. On the other hand, Skepticism is when doubts or questions hover about pre-existing moral, political, or ethical thinking.
Absolutism means having a belief in only one thing. The thought process can be about social structure, philosophies, or government. Under Absolutism, the same methods and approaches do not change without exploring boundaries.
Scepticism is challenging the accepted norms while looking for the ultimate truth. Scepticism involves a thought process where people challenge existing methodologies to know better. Scepticism works as per the belief that change is inevitable. Thus, everything will change from time to time.
Comparison Table Between Absolutism and Skepticism
| Parameters of Comparison | Absolutism | Skepticism |
| Definition | Absolutism is a thought process that does not change irrespective of changing trends. | Scepticism is a thought process that keeps options open for changes that can happen over the years. |
| Attitude towards the truth | Since the ideologies are set, searching for the ultimate truth is seldom. | Scepticism encourages finding the ultimate truth irrespective of the standard ideologies. |
| Objective | Absolutism aims to have a standard practice or opinion about everything. | Scepticism seeks to base the practice or opinion depending upon several factors. |
| Types | The types of Absolutism include Absolutism, political Absolutism, meta-ethical Absolutism, moral Absolutism, and philosophical Absolutism. | The different kinds of Skepticism have academic Skepticism, moral Skepticism, ethical Skepticism, political Skepticism, religious Skepticism, etc. |
| Influential people | Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle and dictators like Hitler are some famous names who either concluded or supported the theory of Absolutism. | Philosophers like Socrates, Pyrrho of Elis, and Carneades challenged the idea of Absolutism and introduced Skepticism as a positive approach to the world. |
| Examples | The law and order system of any nation is an example of Absolutism. It means that a set punishment is to be given for different crimes. | Some examples of Scepticism are being curious about space and finding new things every day, discovering new inventions, questioning the existence of supernatural power, etc. |
What is Absolutism?
Absolutism, in general terms, defines a socially accepted concept. Sometimes, these concepts are written, while sometimes, these concepts are norms in the society that each person abides by.
Political Absolutism refers to set standards that have been going on in the same way for decades or centuries. The prime example of political Absolutism is the election standards.
There are rules and conditions for selecting a candidate to run a nation. Another example is Dictatorship. When a dictator rules a country, it does not matter how politically capable it is. The government will have rules and regulations as per the dictator.
Moral Absolutism is when certain things are morally accepted by society, and certain items are not. For example, if a person commits a felony, they are considered an outcast, not even accepted by society.
On the other hand, if a person in society does a lot of charity and helps needy people, they are morally accepted as good people.
What is Skepticism?
The primary objective of Skepticism is to question the existing truths and values to see if they hold any credit. It relies on the proposition that because most people believe in something does not make it credible.
Scientists found that the earth is round and not flat because of scepticism. Likewise, religious Skepticism is when an individual or a group question the beliefs of a particular religion.
Religious Skepticism challenges the general understanding and the thought process behind religious activities. Religious Scepticism explores and differentiates between the proper practice, the acceptable practice, and the unfair practice.
Academic Skepticism is the basis of the modern world. All the inventions, whether the light bulb or something as sensational as the internet, were possible only because of academic Skepticism.
Political Skepticism is when the nation’s people are aware of their rights. It is when people know what they want from their leader. If the country’s people have political Skepticism, only then will they choose the right candidate to govern them.
Likewise, moral Skepticism is when a person’s actions are not subject to standard rules. Because of moral Skepticism, people try to understand the motive behind an action.
Main Differences Between Absolutism and Scepticism
- Absolutism happens when a specific nation or group leader is rigid in their thought process. On the other hand, Skepticism occurs when the leader of a particular country or group has a flexible thought process.
- Absolutism leads to slow or no progress, while scepticism leads to rapid progress.
- Absolutism is objective-based, while Skepticism is subjective-based.
- Absolutism has beliefs that do not change. Scepticism gives rise to new ideas.
- It is difficult to bring changes where Absolutism exists. Scepticism keeps exploring and getting new and better changes.
Conclusion
Absolutism and Skepticism are thought processes that co-exist in society. There is also a possibility that the same community or people have Absolutism for some beliefs and Scepticism for some ideas.
There are situations where Absolutism becomes a must. However, having Absolutism alone will not lead to a better future. Hence, balancing both becomes imminent. Both Absolutism and Skepticism are philosophical approaches that can have a significant impact in shaping the world.
Absolutism, at times, might incline towards rigidity. However, in certain cases, Absolutism is the way to go. Scepticism, too, cannot always be right. For a well-balanced, it is important to keep both options open. It is so that everything is fair and just.
References
- https://www.proquest.com/openview/7f5ce70e244e23f791f059f17dd7308b/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1933-1592.2004.tb00387.x
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