Question

Kierkegaard said, “truth is subjective” what did he mean by this statement? Please explain in a few detailed paragraphs.

Answer 1

• By this he did not mean it doesn't matter what we think or believe. He meant that the really important truths are personal. Only these truths are `true for me`.”
• By saying that 'Truth is subjectivity and subjectivity is truth', prima facie, it seems that Kierkegaard is denying the objectiveness of truth. But, what he means by this is that most essentially, truth is not just a matter of discovering objective facts. While objective facts are important, there is a second and more crucial element of truth, which involves how one relates oneself to those matters of fact.
• He was a Christian and in Kierkegaard's meaning, purely theological assertions are subjective truths and they cannot be either verified or invalidated by science, i.e. through objective knowledge. He explained that “if God does not exist it would of course be impossible to prove it; and if he does exist it would be folly to attempt it.
• I had always misinterpreted Kierkegaard in saying there is no objective truth. It's not quite that - but actually he's saying that you miss the point of life by focusing on the objective instead of the subjective. The idea is, like the Hegelianism of the day, you could become so preoccupied with getting the specifics about the "what" of objective facts that you miss the "how" of living - that is, a subjective life. "Truth is not a deposit of acquired knowledge, the yield"
• The life of a truth comes from you. Therefore truth is subjectivity. However, the very act of pouring your self into something (i.e. subjectivity) transforms your being into a truth.