Subjectivity Theory: Values are Subjective

586 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Are values subjective or objective?and why

Many value judgments are subjective as they are based on personal principles. Most societies don’t share the same views because they reflect personal preferences rather than objective facts (Pojman & Fieser). Values are not universal; people don’t share the same views or opinions because of the individual’s experiences in life which lead to them forming their own opinions on certain matters. This results in a different value to another person who has had a similar experience but formed a different judgment (Ethical Subjectivism - By Branch / Doctrine - The Basics of Philosophy).
Objectivism is a theory where there is a set of rules that are universally valid for all people and social environments. Objectivity is based on a perspective that is independent of an individual’s belief (Pojman & Fieser).
“There is a great uniformity among the actions of men, in all nations and ages, and that human nature remains still the same, in its principles and operations,” (Pojman & Fieser)
This quote states that in all ‘nations and ages’ the principles formed through human nature have resulted in a set of universal rules. However, values are not objective, in order for a judgment to be supported, society needs to be able to relate to the vision, accept it and see why it would be a good value to support. Where Louis P. Pojman and James Fieser (1990) write “Humans obey these laws because they can perceive the laws inner reasonableness” it is being stated that society obey these universal laws because they can relate to the overall idea of the judgment. While this is true, there are still problems. Even if only a small majority of society were to disagree with a certain viewpoint, the likelihood of that value to be supported universally is small. ...

... middle of paper ...

... personal judgments and experiences than objective facts (Pojman & Fieser).

Works Cited

Curtis, Gary. "Logical Fallacy: Appeal to Consequences." Fallacyfiles.org, 2014. 2014. .
Pojman, Louis P. Ethics. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Pub. Co., 1990. Print.
Unknown. "OBJECTIVITY, SUBJECTIVITY AND MORAL VIEWS." Lawandbioethics.com, 2014. Web. .
Unknown. "Objectivism101." Objectivism101.com, 2014. Web. .
Unknown. "Ethical Subjectivism - By Branch / Doctrine - The Basics of Philosophy." Philosophybasics.com, 2014. Web. .
Unknown. "Criticisms of Objectivism." Noblesoul.com, 2014. Web. .

Show More
Related

  • David Sedaris Shooting An Elephant

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    Which one is most important; our personal values or someone else's values? I think that my personal values are very important for me, and I should not be influenced by other unless I have the same feelings or beliefs. There is a huge difference between both stories; however, they have some common conflicts.

    Read More

  • Natural Law Theory and The Doctrine of Double Effect Theory: Thomas Aquinas

    590 Words  | 2 Pages

    The difference between absolutism and objectivism is that where objectivists believe that there are universal moral principles in which people of all ethical backgrounds and cultures have the validity to follow, absolutists believe that there are underlying values within these beliefs that strictly cannot ever be over-ridden, violated or broken under any circumstances (REF). Furthermore, while absolutists believe in this notion that moral principles are ‘exception-less’, objectivists strongly follow the notion that life is situational and that we as humans have to adapt accordingly to the variables that arise, take them into account, and then make a decision accordingly (REF). Within this introduction of variables applicable to any situation, it is therefore believed that each moral principle must be weighed against each other to produce the best possible outcome, and this is where the overriding of values occurs in an objectivists view, and where an absolutist would disregard these circumstances.

    Read More

  • Mackie's Theory Of Ethical Objectivism

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though there are many arguments against these theories, there are many points that support it. There is no such thing as ethical objectivism because as said in “The argument of Relativity”, every society around the world has different beliefs and ways of acting. Not everyone shares the same opinion. As said in “The Argument of Queerness”, we would not able to understand these objective values because we would need to have some type of power that is not in our ordinary accounts of sensory perception so this means we are incapable of understanding them. We also know that we make decisions not only based on our moral values but on the experiences we have been through time. In the end, I still believe Mackie is correct and there are no objective

    Read More

  • Norm Violation: The Observance Of Social Behavior

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    Every cultures has their own way to define the values. What could be of value in one country could be invaluable in a different country. For example, in Mexico there are places within the same country where the values are measured in different types of ways, such as; in a low-income scenario morality is of great value and in a high-income scenario money and power determine their values of life in a different manor. Everything depends in the social background you are born into that determines how you will live life this term would be called ascribed status” a position an individual either inherits at birth or receives involuntarily later in life”(Henslin, 2015, pg.102).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Moral Disagreements By Kwame Anthony Appiah

    1492 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the article “Moral Disagreements”, Kwame Anthony Appiah discusses how disagreements occur when value based questions are asked. Appiah states the relevance of this topic by mentioning that individuals do not have to go to distances in order to be engaged in a moral discussion. Due to technology the world is more connected than ever, brining everyone together regardless of location. This results in the display of various cultures, believes and values. It is important to keep in mind that “if we are to encourage cosmopolitan engagement, moral conversations between people across societies, we must expect disagreements.” According to Appiah it is crucial to understand that every society is unique. There are similarities across societies

    Read More

  • My Personal Values In The SSSC Codes Of Practice

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyone has their own personal values that the gain throughout their lives. Some of these values are passed down through the different generations of their family. Values can change over time and some people learn more values as they grow up. I personally have gained a range of different values in the past eighteen years of my life. My own values include: respect, honesty, empathy and trust. I gained the value of respect through my parents as I was always told to show respect to others and they would then show me respect back. When I was really young I had to respect other people’s things and their feelings. Through my parents I was brought up to believe that it is always better to be honest and tell the truth about everything. I feel that

    Read More

  • Lewis Vaughn's Definition Of Ethics And Morality

    1159 Words  | 3 Pages

    Morality is, in many ways, a thorn in philosophy’s foot, struggling to abide by the standard of intellectual rigor typically held in the philosophical tradition. This is not particularly surprising. There is a high emotional and personal investment placed in morality and as such, even great minds can falter in their logical demands of morality. The issue of objectivism in ethics is particularly problematic. Lewis Vaughn’s arguments against ethical relativism in Bioethics show the difficulty of dismissing said theory’s possibility, all the while failing to provide his own evidence on behalf of ethical objectivism.

    Read More

  • Humanity And Morality In Mere Christianity By C. S. Lewis

    1410 Words  | 3 Pages

    While maintaining a open look of this moral law, Lewis presents two objections one would present to the moral law: “The moral law is just herd instinct” and “Morality is just social convention. The moral law is not a herd instinct due to man’s choice to suppress stronger instincts in fa...

    Read More

  • Human Service Professional Values Essay

    2123 Words  | 5 Pages

    "A value determines what a person thinks he ought to do, which may or may not be the same as he wants to do, or what is in his interest to, or what in fact he actually does. Values in this sense give rise to general standards and ideal by which we judge our own and others conduct; they also give rise to specific obligations” (CCETSW,

    Read More

  • The Importance of Moderation in Greek Philosophy

    1830 Words  | 4 Pages

    Weston, Anthony. A Practical Companion to Ethics. 4th ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. Print.

    Read More

  • Objectivism: Unrealistic Outside The Fountainhead

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    Objectivism: Unrealistic Outside the Fountainhead The basic premise of objectivism is that existence exist, which means that an objective reality exist independently of consciousness. This implies that consciousness perceives reality, but does not rely reality. Ayn Rand promoted the deprivation of morality from this view of metaphysics (Andrew Bernstein 56).

    Read More

  • Mid Term Case Study

    1238 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to the article, “Thinking Ethically: A Framework for Moral Decision Making”, developed by Manuel Velasquez, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, S.J., and Michael J. Meyer, there are five different approaches to values to deal with moral issues, which are:

    Read More

  • Social Deviant Essay

    1441 Words  | 3 Pages

    Objectivism studies the person in an objective way. As if it were an object. For them, it is something intrinsic that develops within the individual. And the third, Determinism, indicates that behavior is what determines it, so it is beyond the control of the

    Read More

  • The Ethics of Homosexuality

    1649 Words  | 4 Pages

    Furrow, Dwight. Ethics- Key Concepts In Philosophy. New York, NY: Continuum, 2005. Print. 20 Oct. 2011

    Read More

  • Ethics in Business Decision Making

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fieser, J. (2009, 5 10). Ethics. Retrieved 3 26, 2011, from Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://www.iep.utm.edu/ethics/

    Read More

More about Subjectivity Theory: Values are Subjective

Open Document