subjectivism

[ suhb-jek-tuh-viz-uhm ]

/ səbˈdʒɛk təˌvɪz əm /

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noun

Epistemology. the doctrine that all knowledge is limited to experiences by the self, and that transcendent knowledge is impossible.

Ethics.

any of various theories maintaining that moral judgments are statements concerning the emotional or mental reactions of the individual or the community.
any of several theories holding that certain states of thought or feeling are the highest good.

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Origin of subjectivism

First recorded in 1855–60; subjective + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM subjectivism

sub·jec·tiv·ist, nounsub·jec·ti·vis·tic, adjectivesub·jec·ti·vis·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby subjectivism

subjective intension, subjectively, subjective sensation, subjective spirit, subjective symptom, subjectivism, subjectivity, subject matter, subject-raising, subjoin, subjoinder

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use subjectivism in a sentence

Subjectivism, based on vital experience, mixes no better with this system than oil with water.
Outspoken Essays|William Ralph Inge
The subjectivism of the Stoics and Epicureans is followed by the scepticism of Pyrrho and his successors.
A Critical History of Greek Philosophy|W. T. Stace
Lastly, subjectivism ends naturally in scepticism, the denial of all knowledge, the rejection of all philosophy.
A Critical History of Greek Philosophy|W. T. Stace
We have already seen, in the Sophists, the phenomenon of subjectivism leading to scepticism.
A Critical History of Greek Philosophy|W. T. Stace

This subjectivism has as its necessary consequences, one-sidedness, absence of originality, and finally complete scepticism.
A Critical History of Greek Philosophy|W. T. Stace

British Dictionary definitions for subjectivism

subjectivism

/ (səbˈdʒɛktɪˌvɪzəm) /

noun

the meta-ethical doctrine that there are no absolute moral values but that these are variable in the same way as taste is

any similar philosophical theory, for example, about truth or perception

any theological theory that attaches primary importance to religious experience

the quality or condition of being subjective

Derived forms of subjectivism

subjectivist, nounsubjectivistic, adjectivesubjectivistically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012