Understanding "subjective" and "objective" statements

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 A common source of confusion that we often encounter is regarding the terms "subjective" and "objective" statements. 

The term "subjective" is often defined to mean as expressing an opinion or sentiment, while the term "objective" is defined to mean statements that are factual or unbiased. 

But there is a problem with such definitions. How do we know that what we are stating is indeed factual? We may believe it to be a fact, while it may not actually be factual. Similarly, how do we know that what we are saying about something is unbiased? We may not even know what are all the possible sources of bias, and we may not have the complete picture about something even if we believe otherwise. 

Yet another (really weird) definition of these terms is that, a "subjective" question (in an exam, for example) is something that requires an essay-type answer, while an "objective" question is something like a multiple-choice question, or a fill-in-the-blank question, etc. 


To really understand these terms, we need to understand what is a "subject" and what is an "object". The "subject" is the inquirer or agent who is inquiring something or doing something. The "object" is the inquired or the "patient"-- that which is being inquired, or that on which the action is performed. In the picture above, the man is the subject, while the flower is the object. 

An "objective" statement or question simply means that the statement or question pertains to the object. While a "subjective" statement simply means that the statement or question pertains to the subject. 

Hence, we can very much ask an essay-type objective question in an exam-- for example, asking the student to provide a proof for a mathematical theorem. Similarly, we can ask an MCQ-type subjective question-- for example, in a feedback form where we ask for opinions in the form of a set of options. 

The reason why MCQs are often called "objective" questions is that the answer-key for them does not depend on the opinions of the examiner. There is an objective answer to the question, that is independent of any subjective opinions of the examiner. But see that this is also true for evaluating the proof for a theorem, which is in the form of an essay-type answer. Here also, the opinions of the examiner does not matter. The proof can be deemed correct or wrong, purely based on objective considerations. 

An objective statement can very much be biased-- or even be non-factual. It is just a statement or an assertion about the object. The assertion should be subjected to further inquiry to ascertain whether it is unbiased and factual. 

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Once we get the above distinction clear in our minds, we are ready to take the next leap: What happens when the subject is the object of inquiry? As in self-inquiry? 

If I am inquiring about my opinions about something-- then are the opinions (which are "my" opinions) the subject or the object? 

Once we seriously start inquiring this problem, we make our first steps into Indian philosophy about the self.

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