What is "preferentialism"

Preferentialism is a philosophical movement which began in Paris in the early 1990s. In direct opposition to the relativism of Existentialism, Preferentialism stresses objectivity and natural law principles, applying the latter to epistemology as well as to morality and ethics. Preferentialism states that there are certain absolute preferential frames of reference which are preferred by nature, in opposition to the individualistic relativism of Existentialism.

Preferentialism has application in the social sciences.