Universalism (philosophy)

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The term universalism (from the Latin universalis = general) describes a view that claims to be able to trace the diversity of all reality of the whole back to a single principle, law of order or something similar. It also follows from this that ideas, ideals, rights and duties must fundamentally apply to all people. This is countered by particularism or pluralism . From the history of philosophy , among others, Plato , Aristotle and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel can be cited as representatives in the broadest sense of universalistic standpoints, more recently, for example, Othmar Spann , Alfred North Whitehead and Jürgen Habermas .

In moral philosophy , a conception is called universalism, which does not limit its claim to validity to certain people or traditionally grown cultures, but raises it for all affected persons regardless of time. It is thus opposed to a cultural relativism . Examples of ethics with a universal claim to validity are, for example, utilitarianism , Kantian moral philosophy or discourse ethics .

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