Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Subjective and Objective Claims


An example of a subjective claim I heard recently was that, "Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA right now." This was said as some friends and I sat around in the living room watching ESPN cover the basketball section on their channel. This claim is subjective because it is an opinion in which my friend believes is true. And although there are probably many who would agree with him, including me, there are still other people who disagree and believe that he is not the current best player in the NBA. Whether it is true or false depends on what a person or group thinks.

An example of an objective claim I stated recently was that, "I am diabetic." I told this to my roommates and friends who were unaware of my condition. This is an objective claim because it is true and not arguable since I have actually been diagnosed by a doctor. There is no opinion in this claim. Objective is pretty much the opposite of subjective.