universal principles
Truths applying everywhere
Universal principles are fundamental truths or standards believed to apply across all times, places, and contexts.
They transcend cultural boundaries and individual circumstances: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights rests on universal principles of dignity and equality.
Philosophy, ethics, and law invoke universal principles to ground arguments that shouldn't depend on who's making them or where.
Critics question whether any principle is truly universal or merely reflects dominant perspectives dressed up as timeless truth.
- gravityMutual mass attraction
- truthAccordance with reality
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- causalityCause-effect connection
- cosmic orderUniverse's fundamental organizing principle
laws of physics · equality · human rights · thermodynamics · reciprocity · justice · forgiveness · freedom · free will · common good · golden rule · do unto others · conservation · interconnectedness · entropy · symmetry · logic · axiom
universal principleslocal customs
Place-specific social norms
cultural norms · national laws · regional practices · regional standards · community standards
universal principlesmoral relativism
Values vary by context
situational ethics · cultural relativism · individual conscience
universal principlesanecdotal evidence
Support from individual accounts
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