Is truth subjective or objective?*

[AreaCode707]

Many assume that it is objective because they have a religious belief, but one which can't be proved. Sometimes these will say truth is whatever they say it is. Others, who don't share that point of view say it is subjective and yet will argue some points as if there is a standard. Most people, it seems to me, don't spend too much time examining their basic assumptions, in fact, don't seem to realize they operate on unexamined assumptions. Care to present and defend yours.*

 

[imported_LoKe]

Subjective.

 

[AreaCode707]

Originally posted by: LoKe
Subjective.

Most people, it seems to me, don't spend too much time examining their basic assumptions, in fact, don't seem to realize they operate on unexamined assumptions. Care to present and defend yours?

 

[imported_LoKe]

People have a habbit of twisting a truth into a form which they deem their own, which would be subjective. If I'm understanding you...

 

[FrustratedUser]

Let's take an example:

I've got a flat tire. It's in no way subjective and it is the truth.





Disclaimer:
I lied about the flat tire.

 

[notfred]

I think all truths that actually exist are objective, by the nature of the term "truth". If they are subjective, then they can take on different values for different people or under different circumstances, and so they are variable. I don't beleive the term "truth" allows for variablity based on circumstance.

 

[LordMorpheus]

Some truths are subjective, but there objective truths, too . . . the best example would be the basic laws of physics. It doesn't matter what you believe or what your cultural background is . . . gravity still affects you.

 

[DainBramaged]

I believe that there are things that are true for everybody, everywhere, all the time. Some things, I think can be subjective.

 

[DAGTA]

It is possible to ascertain the truth of any statement through a very simply test involving two people. I have seen this work and have used it for the past 12 months. Based on that, I will say that truth is objective for most things but it must be presented in the correct manner.

 

[Ryan]

Subjective - hell, even reality is subjective. It's all from your vantage point in life - how you see it.

Interesting point about unexamined assumptions - reminds me of my ethics class. Many people don't take the time to deconstruct their thought processes, and realize why they think the way they do. You're brought up with certain learned "truths", but it is only until you take the time to pull your thought processes apart, do you realize they are not.

 

[preslove]

It's both and neither. Objective and subjective are philosophical constructs that describe two opposing poles of interpretation of the natural and social worlds, and hence cannot be truth, because they are tools to describe it.

 

[Wahsapa]

sub·jec·tive Pronunciation Key (sb-jktv)
adj.

1.
1. Proceeding from or taking place in a person's mind rather than the external world: a subjective decision.
2. Particular to a given person; personal: subjective experience.

in this case truth is whats in our heads, because whats in my head surly cant be whats in yours. a subjective truth is in actuality the person who has expierced it. crazy people see crazy things, to them that is the truth.

ob·jec·tive Pronunciation Key (b-jktv)
adj.

1. Of or having to do with a material object.
2. Having actual existence or reality.
3.
1. Uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices: an objective critic. See Synonyms at fair1.
2. Based on observable phenomena; presented factually: an objective appraisal.

i think heres where it gets tricky when considering 'truth' and these two definitions of subjective and objective. like with the crazy man example above reality itself can be subjective...


truth Pronunciation Key (trth)
n. pl. truths (trthz, trths)

1. Conformity to fact or actuality.
2. A statement proven to be or accepted as true.
3. Sincerity; integrity.
4. Fidelity to an original or standard.
5.
1. Reality; actuality.
2. often Truth That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.


with all that being sad the only thing i can think of to be an absolute truth is math... hmmm

 

[Zenmervolt]

The question that must first be answered is, "what is truth". Without that, we're just chasing after wind. Or perhaps the question you're asking isn't so much about whether we believe truth to be subjective or objective but rather to discover just what we perceive truth to be. Do we define truth as simply the nature of the world as the observer earnestly believes it to be or do we define truth as an entity that exists on its own and independantly of any and all observers?

If truth is simply the world as it is genuinely perceived then there is no question that it must be subjective. Yet, this view leaves me with a bad feeling. Not least of all, the specification of "genuinely perceived" requires some form of absolute as a base, else it is meaningless and we may as well say that truth is the world as we choose to see it. The idea that even so-called relative truth must be based on a "true" perception impicitly defines truth as an absolute. The madman does not choose to be mad, but in objective truth the madman perceives his own subjective truth.

Yet, if truth is objective, what then? That which is truly objective is un-knowable to man as we are limited to such information as we gather from our senses which leaves us with knowledge only of our own subjective perceptions. If our senses are flawed, we cannot know it save by comparison to a normative set of senses. But what when the normative value is itself flawed? We could not ever detect that condition.

So we have then the two options. If truth is subjective, we are left with an implicit demand for objectivity in at least one instance and that discontinuity creates instability. Yet if truth is objective, it is then un-knowable and this is painful to admit that we are helpless to discover the ultimate.

For myself, I am inclined towards the latter. Defining truth as objective is at least consistent, and I've known enough instability to prefer the pain of an un-knowable to the self deception of inconsistency.

ZV

 

[aniepras]

Originally posted by: Wahsapa
sub·jec·tive Pronunciation Key (sb-jktv)
adj.

1.
1. Proceeding from or taking place in a person's mind rather than the external world: a subjective decision.
2. Particular to a given person; personal: subjective experience.

in this case truth is whats in our heads, because whats in my head surly cant be whats in yours. a subjective truth is in actuality the person who has expierced it. crazy people see crazy things, to them that is the truth.

ob·jec·tive Pronunciation Key (b-jktv)
adj.

1. Of or having to do with a material object.
2. Having actual existence or reality.
3.
1. Uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices: an objective critic. See Synonyms at fair1.
2. Based on observable phenomena; presented factually: an objective appraisal.

i think heres where it gets tricky when considering 'truth' and these two definitions of subjective and objective. like with the crazy man example above reality itself can be subjective...


truth Pronunciation Key (trth)
n. pl. truths (trthz, trths)

1. Conformity to fact or actuality.
2. A statement proven to be or accepted as true.
3. Sincerity; integrity.
4. Fidelity to an original or standard.
5.
1. Reality; actuality.
2. often Truth That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.


with all that being sad the only thing i can think of to be an absolute truth is math... hmmm

Math truth how far did you get algebra they teach you most of your life 1 + 1 = 2 then they pull some sh1t on you and say well not always.

 

[zerocool1]

great thread


I think truth is objective. The example of the flat tire given earlier is a prime example. It is either correct or incorrect. A theory or assumption however would very much be subjective because it is a belief.

Amit

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

"Truth" is a word in human language. As such, it's meaning, like the meaning of all words, is subjective.

In other words, reality isn't "true" or "false." Reality simply is. The statements we make about reality are true or false depending on the extent to which the symbols and syntax employed in the construction of statements accord with our already-accepted definitions.

Those that think truth is objective confuse the map with the territory.

-Garth

 

[So]

Real truth is absolutely 100% ofjective, it's just that some people have this delusion that their opinions, based on speculation are truth. Essentially truth seems subjective because people claim that opinions are facts and claim things to be true when they are false.

Truthe is objective. Most people are not.

 

[LeiZaK]

Truth is completely objective.

However, each individual's perspective of what the truth is, is relative to the individual and therefore subjective.

 

[Vic]

Objective.

Reality is real. It's our perception of reality that is not real, and very many people have difficulty distinguishing between the 2.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Originally posted by: LeiZaK
Truth is completely objective.

No, reality is objective. Truth is an attribute of the statements we make about reality, and that quality is determined by our definitions, not reality.

For example:

1.) All kilflibbles are spuntz (definition)
2.) Plazookie is a kilflibble (definition)
3.) Plazookie is spuntz.

3 is true because of the definitions given in 1 and 2 (and the symantics of "all," "is/are"), not because of anything in reality.

-Garth

 

[cubby1223]

Truth is objective, even in the cases where it's questionable or based on beliefs.

This topic is informative. This topic is worthless.
^^ subjective because both statements can be true for different people

God created humans. Evolution created humans.
^^ objective even though they cannot both be true. One side is correct and one side is wrong. You can be both objective and wrong at the same time.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Anyone a philosopher here? Refer to Soren Kierkegaard.

Truth is subjectivity. Who cares about the objective truth. Take for example if you like a girl a lot. Who cares if other people think she's ugly or whatever. If you're happy with her and vice versa then that love is genuine.

Same with God and religion. It's all subjective.

Who cares about the objective truth. I think we all assume what we experience through our senses reflects reality. John Locke said that's not the case. Apples are red only because our eyes perceive the light being reflected from the apple. Flat is just a subjective point of view. Your tire may very well be fine but you think it is flat because your eyes tell you that. This says NOTHING about objects in the external world themselves. So in reality, the objective truth is unknown to us. Everything we experience is solely subjective. Look at Berkeley. He believes that there are only mind dependent things in this world.... What does that imply? Subjectivity.

 

[gigapet]

everything we percieve to be as a truth is just that, a perception of our senses. Our perceptions are in many ways defined and confined to our belief system. We all know that beliefs do not equal absolut truths so therefor our perceptions are not absolut truths.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Anyone a philosopher here? Refer to Soren Kierkegaard.

Truth is subjectivity. Who cares about the objective truth. Take for example if you like a girl a lot. Who cares if other people think she's ugly or whatever. If you're happy with her and vice versa then that love is genuine.

Same with God and religion. It's all subjective.

Who cares about the objective truth. I think we all assume what we experience through our senses reflects reality. John Locke said that's not the case. Apples are red only because our eyes perceive the light being reflected from the apple. Flat is just a subjective point of view. Your tire may very well be fine but you think it is flat because your eyes tell you that. This says NOTHING about objects in the external world themselves. So in reality, the objective truth is unknown to us. Everything we experience is solely subjective. Look at Berkeley. He believes that there are only mind dependent things in this world.... What does that imply? Subjectivity.

Truth itself is objective, but we are wholly unable to perceive anything that is objective because all perceptions are subjective. Our inability to perceive the objective truth does not negate its existence.

ZV

 

[ggnl]

Truth by definition is objective, but we are incapable of comprehending objective truth through such poor tools as human perception and logic.

We are limited to seeing things through through the veil of our own interpretation. In that respect we cannot truly observe anything objectively. More simply, truth can be objective, but humans are only capable of subjective construal.