The Pope on relativism:

Once that shared recognition of natural law is withdrawn, the Pontiff warned, there is no means of resolving public debates other than a contest of political strength. Then process of legislation becomes “not the search for good but the search for power, or rather the balance of power.”

The problem facing contemporary democracies, the Pope said, is a form of ethical relativism, based on the mistaken notion that “relativism guarantees tolerance and mutual respect.”

In fact, the Pontiff said, this relativism has caused a profound crisis in society, so that “the fundamental essentials are at stake: human dignity, human life, the institution of the family and the equity of the social order–in other words the fundamental rights of man.” The crisis can only be overcome, he said, by restoring an appreciation for the natural moral law “in conformity with right reason– which is participation in the eternal Reason of God.”

If you agree, you should read Richard Rorty, who has a wonderful position in response–that we ought simply to eliminate suffering and find the most pragmatic means of doing this–which requires no univerals.

It’s more complicated of course, and it’s pretty easy to envision a fascist world where the only truth is tied to power (whether its violent coercion or media-driven manipulation). Many would argue this is already the world we have today.

I don’t think so though.  I still like to believe in human freedom and I believe in the capacity for, if nothing else, the belief in the transcendent, and the capacity to appreciate another’s suffering and think that it matters.