The quality of being applicable, relevant, or true across all contexts, cultures, and circumstances without exception. It refers to principles, values, or phenomena that transcend particular boundaries and differences.
From 'universal' (Latin 'universalis', meaning 'of the whole') plus '-ity'. 'Universal' comes from 'universus' (turned into one, whole), combining 'uni-' (one) and 'versus' (turned). The concept became central to Enlightenment thinking about human rights and natural laws.
Universality claims that some things are so fundamentally true that they apply to everyone everywhere - like gravity or human dignity! But the tricky part is that this 'universal' knowledge often comes from very particular cultural perspectives, raising questions about whose universals get to count as truly universal.
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