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the idea that what makes a thing good is how I feel about it


Subjectivism leads to the idea that freedom ultimately manifests as preference-satisfying behavior. Preferences are said to express one’s authentic core making them immune to rational scrutiny. This inflates the individual and requires others to maintain principled silence out of deference to individual autonomy. Thomas Hobbes was an ardent supporter of subjectivism.

Preferences might not be a reliable indicator of what is good though. Preferences are frequently subject to social engineering efforts by commercial interests seeking to monetize our attention. We are far more impressionable than most of us care to admit. But why else would companies tithe 10% of their revenue to marketing?

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