Abstract

This chapter aims at defending semantic relativism from a general methodological viewpoint. In the classic non-relativistic approach, the parameters relevant for the interpretation of indexical expressions coincide with the parameters involved in the definition of truth. It is argued that this identification is grounded on an illicit confusion between genuinely semantic (and hence logical) considerations on the one hand, and issues pertaining to the use of language on the other. Certain characteristic semantic consequences of relativism are then taken into consideration, and are contrasted with the logical outcomes of the classic, non-relativistic treatment of indexical languages.