These positions relate to the Dualist / Non-dualist distinction in Ernest (2000). How do these two distinctions relate to the convergence / divergence distinction in Hudson (1966) and in Orton (1992)?
Absolutism:
In Ernest’s criticism of absolutism, he defines this view as being one in
which "mathematical truth is absolutely valid and thus infallible, and that
mathematics (with logic) is the one and perhaps the only realm of
incorrigible, indubitable, and objective knowledge"
(1998, p.9)
Relativism:
"[C]ultural relativism implies that we must accept even violence, and such
patriarchal and exploitative institutions and customs as dowry, female
genital mutilation, India’s caste system and so on, because they are the
cultural expressions and creations of particular people. For cultural
relativists, traditions... are always considered as particular and beyond
criticism." (Mies & Shiva, 1993, p.11)