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Single Idea 5297

[filed under theme 2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 5. Objectivity ]

Full Idea

The question whether objective truth can be attributed to human thinking is not a question of theory but is a practical question; man must prove the truth of his thinking in practice.

Gist of Idea

Whether human thinking can be 'true' must be decided in practice, not theory

Source

Karl Marx (Theses on Feuerbach [1846], §II)

Book Ref

Marx,K./Engels,F.: 'The German Ideology', ed/tr. Arthur,C.J. [Lawrence and Wishart 1985], p.121


A Reaction

This would appear to be an assertion of the pragmatic view of truth well before Peirce. The obvious objections arise, such as whether falsehood (Plato's 'noble lie') might not have equal practical success, and whether truth might be disastrous.


The 38 ideas with the same theme [seeing reality without a personal point of view]:

One truth leads us to another [Descartes]
Fichte's subjectivity struggles to then give any account of objectivity [Pinkard on Fichte]
Categories create objective experience, but are too conditioned by things to actually grasp them [Hegel]
Subjective and objective are not firmly opposed, but merge into one another [Hegel]
Objectivity is not by correspondence, but by the historical determined necessity of Geist [Hegel, by Pinkard]
Whether human thinking can be 'true' must be decided in practice, not theory [Marx]
Seeing with other eyes is more egoism, but exploring other perspectives leads to objectivity [Nietzsche]
Objectivity is not disinterestedness (impossible), but the ability to switch perspectives [Nietzsche]
Frege sees no 'intersubjective' category, between objective and subjective [Dummett on Frege]
Keep the psychological and subjective separate from the logical and objective [Frege]
There exists a realm, beyond objects and ideas, of non-spatio-temporal thoughts [Frege, by Weiner]
Could not the objective character of things be merely a difference of degree within the subjective? [Nietzsche]
A single explanation must have a single point of view [James]
There is no objectivity in social sciences - only viewpoints for selecting and organising data [Weber]
The results of social research can be true, and not just subjectively valid for one person [Weber]
Contextual values are acceptable in research, but not in its final evaluation [Reichenbach, by Reiss/Sprenger]
Scientific objectivity lies in inter-subjective testing [Popper]
What matters in mathematics is its objectivity, not the existence of the objects [Dummett]
There are no ultimate standards of rationality, since we only assess others by our own standard [Davidson]
Truth and objectivity depend on a community of speakers to interpret what they mean [Davidson]
Objective truth arises from interpersonal communication [Davidson]
Views are objective if they don't rely on a person's character, social position or species [Nagel]
Things cause perceptions, properties have other effects, hence we reach a 'view from nowhere' [Nagel, by Reiss/Sprenger]
Realism invites scepticism because it claims to be objective [Nagel]
The task of philosophy is to unmask the illusion of objective reality [Baudrillard]
We become objective when we detach ourselves from the world [Janaway]
The personal view can still be objective, so I call sciences 'impersonal', rather than objective [Goldie]
Since Kant, objectivity is defined not by the object, but by the statement's potential universality [Meillassoux]
In politics and ethics, scrutiny from different perspectives is essential for objectivity [Sen]
Modern pragmatism sees objectivity as possible, despite its gradual evolution [Misak]
One view says objectivity is making a successful claim which captures the facts [Reiss/Sprenger]
An absolute scientific picture of reality must not involve sense experience, which is perspectival [Reiss/Sprenger]
Topic and application involve values, but can evidence and theory choice avoid them? [Reiss/Sprenger]
The Value-Free Ideal in science avoids contextual values, but embraces epistemic values [Reiss/Sprenger]
Value-free science needs impartial evaluation, theories asserting facts, and right motivation [Reiss/Sprenger]
Thermometers depend on the substance used, and none of them are perfect [Reiss/Sprenger]
We take part in objective truth, rather than observe it from a distance [Zimmermann,J]
Hermeneutic knowledge is not objective, but embraces interpretations [Zimmermann,J]