Law of Absolute and Relative Facts

The principle that facts operate in two modes: absolute facts (statements that are true regardless of perspective, context, or interpretation) and relative facts (statements that are true within a framework but may not hold across frameworks). The law acknowledges that some facts are universal—the Earth orbits the Sun, water freezes at 0°C at sea level. Other facts are framework-dependent—"this is a crime" depends on legal systems, "this is valuable" depends on markets, "this is beautiful" depends on aesthetics. The law of absolute and relative facts reconciles the reality of objective facts with the observation that many facts are socially constructed. It's the foundation of clear thinking: knowing which facts are absolute and which are relative, and never confusing the two.

Law of Absolute and Relative Facts Example: "They debated whether the company's success was a fact. Absolute facts: revenue numbers were real, measurable, undeniable. Relative facts: whether that counted as 'success' depended on profit margins, market share, and what you valued. The law of absolute and relative facts said: the numbers were absolute; their interpretation was relative. They stopped arguing about facts and started arguing about values."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 16, 2026

Absolute and Relative Facts

A distinction between facts that hold independently of any perspective or context, and facts that are true only within a specific framework. Absolute Facts are the ones everyone must accept regardless of their beliefs: water is H2O, gravity exists, you were born on a specific date. Relative Facts are true relative to a particular system: the fact that "this painting is beautiful" is true relative to your aesthetic framework but not universally; the fact that "this move is illegal" is true relative to the rules of chess. The trouble starts when people treat Relative Facts as Absolute, or deny Absolute Facts because they conflict with their Relative framework.

Absolute and Relative Facts "He keeps saying his 'facts' are different from my 'facts.' But gravity is an Absolute Fact—it doesn't care about your perspective. Whether this painting is 'good' is a Relative Fact, and we can disagree without one of us being wrong about reality."

by Dumu The Void February 23, 2026