Subjectivity

Barbora Baďurová, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
barbora.badurova@umb.sk

Subjectivity and subjectivism, in a broad sense, relate to the subject, that is individual person, and are often linked to relativism. Relativism, based on the idea of relation, holds that truth is relative to the individual. Its notable proponents in philosophical history were, for example, the Sophists. Even nowadays, the term ‘sophism’ refers, however in a pejorative sense, to misleading arguments intended to manipulate opponents or audiences, as according to this approach the truth is relative.

Subjectivism is often seen as the opposite of objectivism, but in some contexts, they intersect in the idea of intersubjectivity. For example, agreement among multiple individuals on certain matters may bring us closer to truth, but some philosophers argue this does not guarantee infallibility. Subjectivism can take extreme forms, such as subjective idealism, which asserts that reality depends on perception, or solipsism, which claims that only our own mind exists and everything depends on it.

In the realm of morality, subjectivism or anti-realism suggests that moral claims are mere subjective opinions, making their truth dependent solely on the individual expressing them. According to this view, saying for instance ‘War is bad.’ expresses only personal emotions rather than a verifiable objective claim—similar to saying, ‘I like chocolate ice cream.’ Which can be true or false only in relation to the speaker. A. J. Ayer was a well-known advocate of this perspective. However, the nature of moral judgements and moral facts, as well as objectivity and subjectivity in general, remain a subject of ongoing debate in philosophy and metaethics.

Keywords: antirealism, subjectivism, sophism

Related Entries: Objectivity, Relativism, Truth

References:
Ayer, A. J. (2001). Language, truth and logic. Penguin Classics.
Baďurová, B. (2016) Environmental values as a problem. In Environmental ethics in V4 countries. Belianum.
Guthrie, W. K. C., & Kerferd, G. B. (2020). The sophists. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.