Relativism
Etymology
From Latin "relativus," "having reference to." The impulse is ancient: the Greek Sophist Protagoras declared that “man is the measure of all things,” making each person the arbiter of what is true for them. The general “-ism” took shape in the 1800s and became a central battleground in modern debates about culture and morality.
noun · /REL-uh-tiv-iz-um/
The view that truth, morality, or knowledge is not absolute but valid only relative to a particular culture, framework, or point of view.
What it names
A handle for the claim behind “that’s true for you, not for me” — the idea that standards of right and real are set from within a perspective, not handed down universally.
Example
A little moral relativism kept her curious about other customs — though she drew the line at treating cruelty as merely a local preference.
Related idea
Absolutism is its direct opposite, holding that some truths or moral rules hold everywhere for everyone, regardless of culture or opinion.