What does subjectivism mean?
Subjectivism is the view that judgments about value, meaning, or beauty depend at least partly on individual feelings, experiences, and perspectives rather than on universal, objective standards. It is especially influential in ethics, where moral subjectivism treats personal attitudes and commitments as central, and in aesthetics, where a work’s value may be connected to the responses it evokes in viewers. The term can also describe a method or attitude in criticism, discussion, and interpretation. Subjectivism does not necessarily mean that every opinion is equally valid or that evidence is irrelevant; it mainly questions whether a judgment can be separated from the person making it. The word is useful because it identifies a central philosophical debate about the relation between personal experience and public standards. In argumentative contexts, it can also carry the negative suggestion of relying on taste or preference alone.
nounSubjectivism is the philosophical view that judgments of value, especially in art or ethics, are grounded in individual feelings, experiences, or perspectives rather than universal objective standards. The term may also describe an approach that gives priority to personal interpretation over impersonal criteria.
- The philosophical doctrine that judgments about matters of value, particularly art or morality, are based on individual feelings, experiences, or perspectives rather than universal objective standards.
- A broader tendency or approach that treats personal interpretation, taste, or experience as more important than impersonal or supposedly objective criteria.
"Her defense of subjective experience challenged the prevailing philosophical commitment to objective standards."
"The lecture introduced subjectivism as a challenge to the idea that artistic value can be established through objective criteria."
"Critics dismissed the review as an example of pure subjectivism because it offered personal preference in place of reasoned argument."
Rare; usually the singular form is preferred when referring to the doctrine as a whole. The plural may distinguish different versions or forms of the position.
"The book examines several subjectivisms and the assumptions underlying them."
Subjectivism puts the observer at the center of the judgment: when taste becomes personal, the argument is often over how the experience feels rather than which rule applies.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How subjectivism is actually used
Subjectivism is primarily a formal philosophical term, especially common in discussions of ethics, aesthetics, art criticism, and epistemology. It can be neutral when identifying a position, but it may sound dismissive when used to suggest that a judgment is merely personal or unsupported.
Easily confused with subjectivism
Objectivism holds that judgments can and should be based on standards that are independent of individual preferences, whereas subjectivism emphasizes personal experience or perspective.
Subjectivity is the quality of being based in personal feelings or perceptions, while subjectivism is the doctrine or approach that treats such judgments as fundamental.