Upcoming issue

Perspectives, Postgraduate Journal of Philosophy, is an annual peer-reviewed journal of philosophy edited and published by postgraduate students in the School of Philosophy, University College Dublin, Ireland. Since 2008,Perspectiveshas featured articles, book reviews, and interviews on a broad range of topics and approaches in philosophy and related disciplines. The journal is published open access online, with printed copies available at little cost. The current issue can be found here and previous issues can be accessedhere.

The upcoming issue of Perspectives is on the theme‘The Subjective and the Objective: Philosophical Traditions in Dialogue’ . 

There is in philosophy a legitimate question as to whether and how to draw the distinction between objective and subjective considerations. What is the nature of objectivity and how does it relate to subjectivity? This question can be developed in a variety of interesting ways depending on the philosophical approach taken. Inphilosophy of language and mind, as well as inphenomenology, the question of the subjective-objective distinction expresses an overarching concern which any account of meaning, thought and perception strives to address. What is the nature of reference and truth? What kind of entity, if any, is meaning and how does it factor into theories of (natural/artificial) language(s)? Are intentionality and consciousness objective in any significant sense? Are they thoroughly first-personal, or are they compatible with the third-person perspective?

Epistemologyseems to tackle precisely such questions concerning objectivity and subjectivity. Knowledge, supposedly, is the objective and true description of the world, as opposed to mere opinion or belief. Is this right and how does knowledge strive to overcome or cope with subjectivity? Questions concerning the subjective-objective relation are also relevant to studies on logic. Islogicsubjective? How many kinds of logic can there be? Furthermore,metaphysics and ontologydeal with the issue of objectivity independently of epistemological or linguistic concerns. However, there are theories which instead place great value on the intrinsic connection of ontology with the subjective dimension. Numerousancient, medieval and moderntheories of subjectivity (and/or objectivity) have been elaborated at several turns ofhistoryas reactions to important events, or as the fruits of philosophical contemplation. Finally, the subjective-objective relation is especially relevant to studies inmetaethics and practical philosophyat large, with fields suchasrecognition theory, personhoodand accounts of thepublic sphereand personal life being particularly relevant today. What is the nature of practical objectivity and thought? How do they relate to the subject, to theoretical objectivity and their mutual co-dependency?

The goal of the 2024 Issue is to explore the variety of ways in which the subjective-objective distinction can be illustrated, analysed or criticized. In so doing, it showcases different philosophicalmethodologies, disciplines and traditionsthat have tackled the topic, either by proposing a theory or by challenging the distinction in important respects.