Critical Thinking Essay: Subject Vs. Objective Truth

1. Objective truth and subjective truth

Objective truth is the truth that has been confirmed by science and is accepted universally, while the subjective truth is based on beliefs and religion. Subjective truth is dependent on personal belief or opinion, and it can be true or false as it has not been verified scientifically. Objective information is deemed to be unbiased, is independently verifiable, and it does not have ambiguity in its description. Objective truth usually includes the philosophical and historical truth, while the subjective truth consists of the religious truth. The subjective thinker is eternally comfortable and satisfied with the subjectivity, while the objective thinker is objective to the truth (Schaijik & Prince, 2019). On the other hand, subjective truth is different as no one can have it unless the subject chooses to reveal it, and not always even there. 

• Where does the truth lie?

Truth is defined as the property of being in accord with facts or reality. The human means of perceiving reality through their senses makes them vulnerable to distortions and biases. Whether it is an objective or subjective truth, the truth is relative and stands as truth depending on time, the circumstances, and the place. Objective and subjective truth both move towards the real truth. Absolute truth does exist, but our contingency allows us to know them not in their entirety, at least according to the notion that our being is a contingent being. Truth is a state of mind and not reality, and thus as the level of perception and understanding increase, it also gets more refined. Through learning, we move from lower levels to higher levels of truth (Jerusalem, 2012).

• The truth, according to Aristotle

According to Aristotle, ‘what is the case, it says, it is the case’ or ‘what is not the case, it says, it is not the case.’ That means that to say what an object is, is the truth while saying what it is not the truth. We know that blood is red. It is false to say, “blood is not red, or say blood is yellow,” and we speak the truth if we say, “blood is red or blood is not yellow.” According to Aristotle, the truth is dependent on the world. Aristotle’s concept of truth is that there should be no truthmaker as the truth should be able to stand on itself even when challenged. A true statement is true because they correspond in some sense to states of affairs that obtain. 

• What is the truth?

The truth is that which is aligned with the mind, character, glory, will, and the character of God. That is the biblical definition of truth, and the definition flows from God, truth is theological. Truth has the power of giving the reflection of the world, while a falsehood depicts the world other than it is. The character of truth is both empirical and logical. A logical principle is non-contradictory, and it ensures that propositions that contradict each other both cannot be true at the same time. The true belief that describes the world changes, and thus the truth changes as well. The empirical principle of truth is that it asserts that nature is not cupreous (Blackburn, 2020). Thus, truth is independent of the specific observations we make, and we need to look at the bigger picture to establish it

References

Schaijik, K. V., & Prince, J. (2019). A key difference between objective and subjective truth. Retrieved from http://www.thepersonalistproject.org/home/comments/a-key-difference-between-objective-and-subjective-truth

Blackburn, S. (2020, April 30). What Is Truth? Four Different Answers. Retrieved from https://iai.tv/articles/what-is-truth-four-different-answers-auid-1202

Jerusalem, W. (2012). Introduction to philosophy. Place of publication not identified: Nabu Press.

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