I often see people who don’t understand the difference between subjective and objective. A quick Google search will bring up some articles that don’t really help the matter too much. This is one of the most important principles a person needs to understand if they want to have accurate and realistic thinking.
As always, before we begin, let’s define these terms so we can effectively communicate them.
Objective: That which is factually true outside of the mind.
An example would be 2+2=4. This is an objective truth. It is not different from person to person, it is the same for everyone, everywhere, at all times.
Subjective: A perspective/experience that can be different from person to person. An example would be asking someone “Do oysters taste good?” or the image provided. This is a subjective experience. It is different from person to person. For some it is true, for others it isn’t.
The Universe is filled with both subjective and objective things, and it is important to be able to distinguish between the two in order to have accurate thinking. Knowing the difference is one of the first principles of knowledge. Inaccurate thinking leads to errors and/or suffering. People have died from errors in judgment, fortunes have been lost, marriages and friendships ruined. I have seen countless times, two individuals discuss an objective topic, and one of the individuals will say “That’s just your opinion.” No. It isn’t an “opinion”. Opinions are subjective, and you’re discussing an objective matter.
Whether or not the Earth is round or flat is not opinion, either it is, or it isn’t.
Whether an economic policy will increase a nation’s GDP is not opinion, either it will or it won’t. Whether climate change is real or not is not an opinion, either it is or it isn’t.
These are objective topics, and many objective topics have real life objective consequences that will objectively help or hurt us in real life. Objective subjects should never be argued as if they are a subjective matters of opinion.
Let’s look at some subjective examples.
Do you think pepperoni pizza is better than cheese pizza? That’s subjective.
Do you think rock music is better than rap music? That’s subjective.
Do you think Sarah is more attractive than Mary? That’s subjective.
Do you think the image is a 6 or a 9? That’s subjective.
The nature of arguing/discussing subjective and objective matters is totally different. In subjective matters, people usually go based off of feelings and personal experiences. In objective matters, people go off of objective measurements or conclusive facts.
Hopefully this short explanation will help you to understand the difference between subjective and objective things. It is important if you want to be realistic and have accurate thinking.