Point of view (philosophy)

In philosophy, a point of view is a specific attitude or manner through which a person thinks about something.[1] This figurative usage of the expression dates back to 1730.[1] In this meaning, the usage is synonymous with one of the meanings of the term perspective[2][3] (also epistemic perspective).[4]

The concept of the "point of view" is highly multifunctional and ambiguous. Many things may be judged from certain personal, traditional or moral points of view (as in "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"). Our knowledge about reality is often relative to a certain point of view.[2]

Vázquez Campos and Manuel Liz Gutierrez suggested to analyse the concept of "point of view" using two approaches: one based on the concept of "propositional attitudes", the other on the concepts of "location" and "access".[5]

  1. ^ a b "Point of View". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House Inc. 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b Campos, Gutiérrez, p. 2
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference LMPS14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Clayton Littlejohn, John Turri (eds.), Epistemic Norms: New Essays on Action, Belief, and Assertion, Oxford University Press, 2014, p. 220.
  5. ^ Manuel Liz, p. 110