On ”a Vicious Circle of Tolerance/Intolerance” and ” a Way Out of it ” : a Critical Examination of Hiroshi Komoda's Paper, ”Problematique of Relativism and Tolerance : for an alternative image of ”convergence””

Hiroshi Komoda's Paper “Problematique of Relativism and Tolerance ― for an alternative image of “convergence” ―” depicts how moral relativism involves a vicious circle of tolerance/intolerance, and attempts to show the way out of it. Through examining his work critically, I try to show that the alleged vicious circle is neither “a circle” nor “vicious” C but rather “a repetition” that is nothing but an endless relativization. Also, I assert that the alleged “way out” is both impossible and unnecessary, and I present a further alternative image of “convergence”. This article is based on my view of relativism, developed in The Ultima Thule of Relativism (Shunjusha Publishing Company, 2001) and “Relativism, Time-Gap, and Unrelatedness” (in Philosophy, Annual Review of the Philosophical Association of Japan, No. 53, 2002). My basic idea is that relativism is, through an endless relativization, radicalized, purified and evaporated.