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The semantic distinction between absolute and relative terms is used in philosophy to differentiate properties that are binary from properties that are defined by how much they depart from a minimum value. Peter Unger introduces this distinction in his article A Defense of Skepticism where he uses the examples of a flat table versus a bumpy table. When a table is said to be "flat", what is in fact meant is that the table is "flat enough for all intents and purposes", even though at the microscopic level no table is ever absolutely flat. When a table is said to be bumpy, however, all that is meant is that the table is that there are at least some observable bumps on the table. There is no such a thing as an "absolutely bumpy" table. When interpreted with sufficient philosophical rigour, the statement "that table is flat" is always false. The statement "that table is bumpy", however, may be true.
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