Subjective truth is a philosophical concept that refers to a truth based on a persons perspective, feelings, or opinions. It is sometimes mistaken for relative truth, which is a different concept. Subjective truth is normally attributed to Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, who believed that religious truth is a personal, not impersonal, thing—that it is something we are, not something we have. Kierkegaard acknowledged objective truth as being something “outward,” while believing that subjective truth is something “inward” . The idea is that, while objective truths are important, subjective truth can actually be more crucial to a person because it involves how a person relates to and accepts those objective truths. Kierkegaard believed that spiritual truth cannot be just acknowledged; it must be appropriated: it is not just correspondence, but internal commitment. Religious truth is found in a subjective encounter with God and acceptance of His truth by one’s will, not only by an objective understanding with the mind.
According to the Four Truths model, subjective truth is how the individual sees or experiences the world. It is one of four types of truth, along with objective truth, normative truth, and complex truth. Objective truth is what exists and can be proved in this physicality, while normative truth is what we, as a group, agree is true. Complex truth recognizes the validity of all those truths and allows you to focus on the one that is most useful at any given time.
In science, scientific truth is objective, confirmed by proof, and is universally accepted. Subjective truth, on the other hand, is dependent upon opinion and perspective.
