Contextualism is a philosophical approach that emphasizes the importance of context in understanding meaning and truth. It suggests that the interpretation of statements or beliefs can vary depending on the circumstances in which they are expressed. This perspective is often applied in fields like linguistics, epistemology, and ethics. In epistemology, for example, contextualism argues that what counts as knowledge can change based on the context of the discussion. This means that a person might be considered knowledgeable in one situation but not in another, highlighting how context shapes our understanding of concepts like truth and justification.