perspectivisme

Perspectivism, or Perspektivismus in German, is a philosophical position that holds all knowledge to be conditioned by perspective. It asserts that there is no view from nowhere and that truth and meaning arise from particular standpoints shaped by factors such as history, culture, language, and individual experience.

The term was popularized by Friedrich Nietzsche in the late 19th century, who argued that different beings and cultures interpret reality, values, and knowledge through their own drives and life conditions. The idea was later developed within the hermeneutic and phenomenological traditions and has influenced various strands of postmodern and pragmatic thought.

Core ideas of perspectivism include the claim that knowledge is a family of interpretations rather than a single, objective description. No cognitive stance is universally privileged, and scientific, moral, and artistic claims are seen as historically situated practices that reflect particular perspectives. Some writers treat perspectivism as compatible with a form of cross-perspective critique or dialogue, yielding more robust understandings, sometimes described as perspectival realism.

Critics argue that perspectivism can undermine rational critique or objective consensus. Proponents respond by distinguishing between epistemic relativism and contextualism, arguing that perspectives can be evaluated, revised, and reconciled through argument, evidence, and comparative inquiry.

Influence and reception of perspectivism extend across hermeneutics, phenomenology, and the sociology of knowledge, contributing to debates about objectivity, justification, and the limits of standpoint-based reasoning in science, ethics, and culture.