The Objective and Subjective Issue in Nagel Philosophy

The Philosophy of Thomas Nagel, the American philosopher, includes a varied expanse of philosophical problems, from mind to political philosophy; but the relationship between all these varied and multiple philosophical realms in his thought is the subjective and objective Issue. Man’s ability to look at the philosophical issues from the objective and subjective perspectives and the contradiction of these two perspectives create a collection of philosophical issues, whose resolving and understanding from his point of view is not possible without paying attention to the objective and subjective look. In this article, I have tried to present an explanation and elucidation of Nagel’s look at the objective and subjective issue and to clarify the meaning of Nagel’s objectivism. Based on the two books, “The View from Nowhere” and “The Last Word”, I would show how Nagel’s objectivism has developed. According to this analysis, Nagel’s objectivism has two forms: the objectivism based on an objective self that can separate oneself from specific and limited perspectives and acquire a more comprehensive understanding of self and reality; and the objectivism based on the
human mind structure, which is limited to the specific epistemological restrictions in looking at the world and even doubt in the foundations of one’s knowledge, that is the very limitations resulted from the thoughts that are impossible to escape from. Then, I will touch upon the point that these two perceptions of objectivism and the claim that in some philosophical realms one should use the first type and in some other realms the second type, would initially create a kind of inconsistency in Nagel philosophy but attention to the general framework of Nagel’s objectivism can resolve this inconsistency