This quote argues that even objective facts only become truly meaningful when individuals personally grasp and integrate them into their own understanding. It means that knowledge isn't just about information; it requires personal engagement and subjective comprehension to be truly valid and impactful.
Quote by Herbert Marcuse: “Truth can be 'objectively' true only as a truth which is subjectively experienced and understood.”
Truth can be 'objectively' true only as a truth which is subjectively experienced and understood.
Insight
Historical Context
Written in the post-WWII era, Marcuse contributed to philosophical debates concerning rationality, the role of subjectivity, and the nature of objective truth in an increasingly technological and standardized world.
About the Author
German-American philosopher and sociologist associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory, whose 1964 work One-Dimensional Man became a foundational text of the New Left. He argued that advanced industrial society neutralises opposition by absorbing dissent into consumer culture.
View all quotes by Herbert Marcuse