Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality or state of being subjective: This refers to the condition of being based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions, rather than external facts.
   • (Philosophy) A doctrine or theory: The philosophical doctrine that knowledge, values, and morality are not objective realities but are dependent on and limited by an individual's own subjective experience, feelings, or perceptions.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The author's subjectivism made the novel a deeply personal reflection rather than a historical account.
  • In his essay, he argued for a form of subjectivism, claiming that all moral judgments are ultimately personal preferences.

Advanced Usage

• "Radical subjectivism": An extreme form of the doctrine that denies any objective basis for knowledge or ethics.

  • The philosopher's radical subjectivism led him to conclude that shared reality is an illusion.

• "Moral subjectivism": The specific ethical theory that moral propositions are true or false only relative to an individual's attitudes or cultural norms.

  • Moral subjectivism holds that statements like "charity is good" express only the speaker's approval, not an objective fact.

Variants and Related Words

• Subjective (adj): Based on or influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudices; existing in the mind.

  • Her review was highly subjective and reflected her own biases.

• Subjectivist (n): A person who adheres to the doctrine of subjectivism.

  • As a subjectivist, she rejected the idea of universal artistic standards.

Synonyms

• Relativism: The doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.
• Perspectivism: The view that all ideations take place from particular perspectives, and that there are many possible conceptual schemes in which judgment of truth or value can be made.

Related Phrases

• "A slide into subjectivism": A phrase describing a perceived negative trend towards rejecting objective standards.
  • Critics warned that the movement represented a dangerous slide into subjectivism.

Related Idioms

• "It's all subjective": A common idiom expressing the idea that a matter is one of personal opinion, with no single correct answer.
  • When it comes to modern art, it's all subjective; what one person loves, another hates.

Noun

1. the quality of being subjective
2. (philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge and value are dependent on and limited by your subjective experience