Post-Relativism: Truth, Coherence, and the Temporality of Adequacy

This working paper develops post-relativism as a theory of adequacy-testing for truth, meaning, and coherence under changing conditions. It argues that a truth does not become false in retrospect; rather, the justificatory conditions under which a claim, framework, or order of coherence once oriented judgment may lose present adequacy. The paper distinguishes relevance, meaning, coherence, adequacy, and orientation. Relevance marks what may matter; meaning stabilizes relevance; coherence connects stabilized meanings into an intelligible order; adequacy tests whether that order still fits the situation; and orientation keeps this testing process open enough to remain responsive to changing conditions. Against both relativism and simple anti-relativism, post-relativism addresses cases in which inherited truths, institutions, concepts, and narratives continue to appear coherent after their orienting capacity has declined. The paper introduces residual coherence, adequacy echo, pseudo-orientation, and reorientation as conceptual tools for analysing late-stage adequacy loss. It also clarifies adequacy-testing as a diagnostic practice distinct from mere verification, using seven dimensions: conditions, relevance, scope, consequences, counter-signals, revisability, and timing. The paper situates the argument in relation to generative AI, polarization, post-rationality, planning, institutional decision-making, education, and research, where accelerated meaning production can reinforce coherence without supporting orientation. The aim is to establish an ethos of testing in which truth remains binding, but its adequacy must be repeatedly assessed under shifting conditions. This publication is the revised and expanded English edition of the German working paper “Postrelativismus: Wahrheit, Kohärenz und die Temporalität der Adäquanz”, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20673261.