The most popular philosophy of our time is based on a category error that was solved in 1894.
"Morals are subjective."
You have heard it. You may have said it. It sounds sophisticated. It feels tolerant. And it is based on a mistake in reasoning that Rudolf Steiner identified over a century ago.
Here is the mistake, and here is why it matters.
The Category Error
The argument goes like this: "I perceive morality individually, therefore morality is subjective."
Sounds reasonable. But apply the same logic to mathematics.
You perceive that 2+2=4. You are the one thinking it. Does that make mathematics "your truth"?
Obviously not.
The fact that you individually perceive something does not make what you perceive subjective. You are confusing two different things:
The Confusion
- The act of perceiving (which is individual)
- The content perceived (which may be objective)
You individually perceive that a triangle has three sides. That does not make geometry "just your opinion."
Steiner called this out directly. When you truly think, not remember, not associate, but actually think, you participate in something that exists independently of your personal preference.
The same faculty that perceives mathematical truth can perceive moral truth.
The difference? Most people have developed one and not the other.
The Three Levels of Moral Experience
Most people experience morality at one of two levels. Then they conclude that is all there is.
Level 1: Instinct
"I want this."
Pure desire. No reflection. The child grabbing a toy. The adult grabbing power. Same operating system, different targets.
Level 2: Convention
"Society says this."
Cultural programming. Rules absorbed from family, religion, media. You follow them or rebel against them, but either way you are reacting to external authority.
People bounce between these two levels. Personal desire versus social expectation. Then they look around and conclude: "See? Morality is either subjective preference or cultural convention. There is nothing else."
But there is a third level they have never accessed.
Level 3: Moral Intuition
"What actually IS."
Direct perception of ethical reality. Not what you want. Not what society says. What is true.
This is a real faculty. It can be developed. Steiner showed how.
Someone who has never developed moral intuition will only experience levels 1 and 2. They will naturally conclude that morality is either subjective (level 1) or relative to culture (level 2).
This is like a colorblind person concluding that color does not exist.
The faculty exists. Most people have not developed it.
Why "Subjective" Is So Popular
Here is why moral subjectivism dominates modern thinking.
It is comfortable.
If morality is just preference, then nobody can tell you that you are wrong. Your choices are as valid as anyone else's. There is no standard you are failing to meet. There is nothing to develop. You are already complete.
That is appealing. It is also a trap.
The Trap
The person who says "it is all subjective" has usually never developed the faculty to perceive moral reality.
They have experienced their own desires. Level 1.
They have experienced social conditioning. Level 2.
And because they have never experienced anything beyond that, they assume nothing beyond that exists.
This is like someone who has never done mathematics concluding that mathematical truth is just "what people agree on."
The uncomfortable truth: moral perception requires development. Most people have not done the work. So they mistake their own limitation for a statement about reality.
The Development Gap
Here is the core problem.
We have schools that develop mathematical thinking. Years of training. Structured progression. Verified results.
We have almost nothing that develops moral intuition.
So most people walk around with highly developed mathematical faculties and completely undeveloped moral faculties. Then they conclude: "Math is objective, morals are subjective."
No. You developed one capacity and not the other.
The real question is not "are morals subjective?"
It is "have I developed the faculty to perceive them?"
For most people, the honest answer is no.
What Steiner Actually Said
From The Philosophy of Freedom:
"In thinking, we have that element given us which welds our separate individuality into one whole with the cosmos."
When you truly think, not associate, not remember, not imagine, you connect to objective reality. This includes moral reality.
The person who says "that is just your opinion" has never had the experience of genuine moral intuition. They have only experienced desire dressed up as morality.
Real moral perception is not "I feel this is right."
It is "I perceive this is right." The same way you perceive a triangle has three sides.
The feeling comes after. The perception comes first.
Most people have it backwards.
How to Respond
Next time someone says "morals are subjective," try this:
"Subjective means it originates in me."
"When I perceive a mathematical truth, does it originate in me? Or do I perceive something that exists independently of my preference?"
"The fact that I am the one perceiving does not make what I perceive subjective."
"That is a category error."
"You are confusing the act of perception with the content perceived."
Watch them pause.
Most people have never thought past the surface level claim. They accepted "subjective" because it sounds sophisticated and because it is comfortable.
Challenge the assumption. The argument falls apart.
Developing Moral Intuition
So how do you actually develop this faculty?
Steiner gave specific practices. The Six Exercises. Pure thinking meditation. Self-observation protocols.
This is not abstract theory. It is practical development.
The Philosophy of Freedom is not just a book to read. It is a training manual for developing capacities that most people do not know they have.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is morality subjective or objective?
Steiner argued morality is objective but requires a developed faculty to perceive. The confusion comes from conflating the act of perception (individual) with the content perceived (potentially objective). Just as mathematical truth is objective even though individuals perceive it, moral truth can be objective even though it requires individual perception.
What is moral intuition according to Steiner?
Moral intuition is the direct perception of ethical reality, beyond personal desire (instinct) and cultural conditioning (convention). It is a faculty that can be developed through specific practices. Steiner distinguished this from emotional reactions or social programming.
What is the Philosophy of Freedom about?
Rudolf Steiner's Philosophy of Freedom (1894) argues that true freedom comes from thinking your own thoughts rather than being determined by instinct or conditioning. It presents thinking as spiritual activity and shows how moral intuition can be developed as a reliable faculty for perceiving ethical truth.
How do you develop moral intuition?
Steiner recommended specific practices including the Six Exercises (control of thinking, will, equanimity, positivity, open-mindedness, and integration), pure thinking meditation, and systematic self-observation. These develop the capacity to perceive moral reality directly rather than reacting from desire or conditioning.
So.
"Morals are subjective" is not sophisticated philosophy. It is an unexamined assumption based on a category error.
The question is not whether morality is perceived individually. It is.
The question is whether what you perceive is real.
And that depends on whether you have developed the faculty to perceive it.
Most have not. That is why moral subjectivism dominates. Not because it is true. Because development is rare.
The Philosophy of Freedom is not just an argument. It is a path. The faculty can be developed. The perception can be trained. What looks like philosophical debate is actually a question of development.
Have you done the work?