Subjectivism

There is a lot of subjectivist talk these days. I argued in favour of subjectivism in my philosophy exams because it was the easiest path. But that doesn’t mean it is the right one, either morally or factually. It might just be a cop-out, and I think it probably is. We are now seeing subjectivism pull our society apart. I am now interested to argue against subjectivism and relativism. I always had a sneaking suspicion of both, but I have been encouraged by Sam Harris and others to “come out” and abandon them completely (I already had no truck with religion!).

Objectivism is difficult to defend and generally frowned upon because it smacks of snobbery. While I detest snobbery, I have a lot of respect for the truth, and if someone does not see the beauty of a landscape, the vulgarity of a tabloid newspaper, or the wrongness of rape, I suggest this is not because the properties are not there to be perceived – rather it is the case that they do not possess the ability to perceive them (exactly as in HG Wells’ excellent short story The Country of the Blind). Furthermore I suggest that a richer experience of life is to be had by perceiving them than by not perceiving them.