Absolutism refers to the act of believing that certain principles, values, claims, and doctrines are universally valid independent of their relation to different contexts of, and variations within, experience. Although it is occasionally viewed in a positive light (especially by those who hold these beliefs), absolutism is generally a pejorative term signifying the existence of a rigid permanence and order within and among things and their relations, the natural world, and/or social political systems. Though absolutism is manifested within a variety of social dynamics and experiential circumstances, historically it has been recognized within four interrelated traditions of thought: theology, politics, philosophy, and morality.