Objective vs. Subjective Statements
Some statements are true. For example, the statement “The Sun is larger than the Earth” is true. And some statements are false. For example, the statement “The Moon is larger than the Earth” is false. Truth and falsity are properties of statements. If you believe a true statement, then your belief is true. If you believe a false statement, then your belief is false. But what makes a true statement true and what makes a false statement false? The answer to this question depends on whether the statement under consideration is subjective or objective.
A statement is subjective if its truth depends on a belief of any person making the judgment about it. If a person believes that the statement is true, then it’s true. If a person believes the statement is false, then it’s false. This implies that subjective statements are abbreviated statements of personal beliefs. For example, “Cats make the best pets” is an example of a subjective statement. It’s an abbreviated statement of that could be expressed as follows: “I believe that cats make the best pets.” Note the words “I believe”. If a person believes this statement, then the statement is true, because the statement is describing something about the person’s belief. If a person denies this statement, then it’s false, because the statement is not describing something about the person’s belief.
In contrast, a statement is objective if it’s not subjective – that is, if what makes it true (or false) has to do with something independent of any person’s belief. The statements “The Sun is larger than the Earth” and “The Moon is larger than the Earth” are both objective. The truth and falsity of these statements do not depend on anyone’s belief. The truth of these objective statements depend on certain mind-independent facts.
Let’s consider some more examples.
S1: “The current President of the United States has a living aunt.”
This statement is an objective statement. It’s truth depends on whether the current President of the United States has a living aunt. It does not depend on anyone’s believing it’s true. The statement may be true even if the current President does not believe that it’s true.
Suppose Jack and Jill disagree about this statement. Jack believes this statement is true. Jill believes this statement is false. Can their beliefs both be correct at the same time? Since this statement is objective, they cannot both have correct beliefs at the same time. One of them must have a mistaken or false belief. (more…)