The Relativist Culture
In addressing the issue of misinformation and lying, we wish to introduce a sixth culture that is closely aligned with the virtual culture but is to be found in every nook and cranny of mid-21st Century life. We identify this as the Relativist Culture and suggest that all four of the original cultures are impacted by the push to relativism. Professionals are coming to recognize that they no longer can offer an openly accepted “reality.” Consumers of professional wisdom find that there are conflicting versions of this wisdom coming out of the mouths and words of “so-called” professionals.
Those in the managerial culture find that they are swamped with numbers that often seem to be contradictory. The advocates are not only swamped with the same outpouring of numbers but often torn between contradictory needs and demands among the constituencies with which they are aligned and must serve. Finally, as we have already noted, those in the alternative culture rarely are heard and are relativistic about relativism itself: “if everything is relative, then what am I to believe? Maybe the very notion of relativism is subject to review—is relativism just as much an unquestioned tenant as the orthodoxy of a specific religion?
In his own version of this culture, Ariely (2012, p. 264) writes about “white lies in a gray world.” He establishes an important point that “some level of dishonesty Is actually needed in society.” Life, noted Ariely, is never all Black and White. “When we’re making decision, we’re looking at a lot of pros and cons all jumbled together into a spectrum of grays. Our motivations—no matter how honorable—often counteract other motivations.” This is relativism at work! This is VUCA Plus in full display.
In the relativistic culture there is “fungible” truth”. One reality can readily be exchanged for a different reality. Relativism thrives in the virtual world. We find, for instance, that avatars (virtual representations of ourselves) are found in abundance on the Internet (especially in Japan). Young Internet-savvy people live through the image that they chose to represent themselves. No one actually sees their face or even knows who they really are. These images can readily be changed. Even our personal identity becomes relativistic. Highly sophisticated reality games become the world in which these young people live and where they fight imaginary dragons. Rather than confronting the real-world foes that would be encountered if they held down a “real” job, the Avatar-clad game-players can engage in battles where no one actually risks anything. The game can always be changed. All outcomes are relative. Nothing is ever truly gained or lost. Much as in the case of our dream.
Ariely writes about “fuzzy reality” (Ariely,2012, p. 6). We play with numbers until we are “convinced that the numbers truly represent the ideal way” in which to negotiate our financial world (Ariely, 2012, p. 83). Similarly, we engage narratives as a way to negotiate other domains in which we operate (Bergquist, 2021). Ariely (2012, p. 65) turns to the game of golf when describing this slippery slope to dishonesty:
When our actions are more distant from the execution of the dishonest act, when they are suspended, and when we can more easily rationalize them . . . every . . . .human on the planet . . .find[s] it easier to be dishonest. . . . [Everyone has] the ability to be dishonest but at the same time think of themselves as honest. And what have we learned . . . ? We}l. When the rules are somewhat open to interpretation, when there are gray areas, and when people are left to score their own performance-even honorable games such as golf can be traps for dishonesty.
