NationStates Jolt Archive

Hey Hello, i'm writing an essay on Moral Subjectivism and i'd like a nice quote to start it off- something general about Subjectivism, preferably witty, etc. Can anyone think of anything?

Are you writing "on" subjectivism, "for" subjectivism, or "against" subjectivism?

Olara']Are you writing "on" subjectivism, "for" subjectivism, or "against" subjectivism?
All of the above, but as far the quote it'd be "on".

I'll bump this back to the top of the list.

Sorry, I'm not big on philosophy as far as knowledge about it is concerned. I would merely assert that all moral philosophy is subjective, and that almost all of it is irrelevant too.

I personally prefer Pragmatism.
And was it Hume who basically said we act out of the gut and afterwards we make up reasons for it? That's good too.

Hey Hello, i'm writing an essay on Moral Subjectivism and i'd like a nice quote to start it off- something general about Subjectivism, preferably witty, etc. Can anyone think of anything?

It depends on whether you are including relativism and/or nihilism (contemporary, not Nietzschian). That makes any general statement on Moral Subjectivism difficult (I have gotten into some very intense arguments with Moral Subjectivists who insist upon certain forms of relativism).

Here are two quotes, which describes subjectivism in a nutshell:

“The individual is the moral center of the universe”. (old but good)

OR:

“All morality springs forth from the individual”.

But they lack wit and I can't really suggest anything because I have little idea as to your writing style. Perhaps you should look for a quote in the works of the great moral subjectivists (David Hume, Nietzsche, Max Steiner, Sartre).

My personal favorite is from David Hume, I believe it was "Human life is worth no more then that of an oyster". The point being that there is no inherent value to anything, which is a cornerstone of Moral Subjectivism.

Hey Hello, i'm writing an essay on Moral Subjectivism and i'd like a nice quote to start it off- something general about Subjectivism, preferably witty, etc. Can anyone think of anything?

"Yes, but subjectivity is objective." - Woody Allen, Love & Death, 1975.

It depends on whether you are including relativism and/or nihilism (contemporary, not Nietzschian).

You're not suggesting that Nietzsche was a nihilist, are you?

"The very idea of freedom presupposes some objective moral law which overarches rulers and ruled alike. Subjectivism about values is eternally incompatible with democracy. We and our rulers are of one kind only so long as we are subject to one law. But if there is no Law of Nature, the ethos of any society is the creation of its rulers, educators and conditioners; and every creator stands above and outside his own creation." C.S. Lewis

"Yes, but subjectivity is objective." - Woody Allen, Love & Death, 1975.
So what exactly is that supposed to mean?

So what exactly is that supposed to mean?
It means that if the matter at hand relates directly to you, it suddenly takes on importance.

Consider the Hume quote,"Human life is worth no more than that of an oyster".

Well, if someone held a gun to your head and said that, I'm sure you would disagree. To you, your life is worth far more than that of an oyster.

It means that if the matter at hand relates directly to you, it suddenly takes on importance.

Consider the Hume quote,"Human life is worth no more than that of an oyster".

Well, if someone held a gun to your head and said that, I'm sure you would disagree. To you, your life is worth far more than that of an oyster.
Yeah, thats interesting, so the moral truth lies in survival. But does that hold true for everyone, but then you could argue they would be the exception not the rule. Thanks!

Well, if someone held a gun to your head and said that, I'm sure you would disagree. To you, your life is worth far more than that of an oyster.

Yes, but your disagreement would be the result of your personal bias.

I'm reminded of a quote by Gary Francione, an animal-rights guy, who, when asked if he would be willing to kill an animal to save his child, replied "I'd kill you to save my child, but that wouldn't make it right."

Yes, but your disagreement would be the result of your personal bias.

I'm reminded of a quote by Gary Francione, an animal-rights guy, who, when asked if he would be willing to kill an animal to save his child, replied "I'd kill you to save my child, but that wouldn't make it right."

It depends on what the other human is doing to my child, whether killing him would be right or not.

You're not suggesting that Nietzsche was a nihilist, are you?

No I was not, I was simply pointing out that there are two different philosophical ideas of what is nihilism. Nietzsche, for example, considered religion to be nihilistic (Christianity was the "will to nothingness"). Nietzsche was afraid that after the realization of the death of god humanity would still fall into nihilism, one that lacked foundation and could possibly be more dustructive, and saw his work as a means to prevent that amoung an elite who would shape society; the overpersons who would lives happy, joyus and free. That definition stands in opposition to the one commonly put forward by society (under the contemporary definition Nietzsche is often accuse of nihlism).

No I was not, I was simply pointing out that there are two different philosophical ideas of what is nihilism.

Phew. I thought you might have missed the reason for his entire philosophical project there for a second.

So what exactly is that supposed to mean?

I take it as a statement of the fact that as individual human beings, we are all unable to escape our own subjective perspective, and thus the very experience of our subjectivity (but not its contents) is an objective reality for us all.