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Often in my questions comments, especially old ones, I have received feedback that my questions are subjective. I've also received feedback that it is opinion based question.

I understand opinion based questions. But I don't understand:

What means subjective here? Is it really a question that is subjective or the answer I'm expecting would be subjective?

And why subjective is bad for this network? Don't subjective things have any truth and don't they help the person who is asking question ever?

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What means subjective here? Is it really a question that is subjective or the answer I'm expecting would be subjective?

I can't really speak for the commenters, because I can't know for sure what they meant.

However, I share the opinion that there is no such thing as a subjective question. Or rather, all questions are subjective. Simply because a question always stems from personal experience.

So I'm guessing the term 'subjective question' is being used as a shortcut for 'a question that invites subjective answers'.

And why subjective is bad for this network? Don't subjective things have any truth and don't they help the person who is asking question ever?

Subjective isn't necessarily bad or banned. We do allow critique questions, which always invite some subjectivity. And of course the subjective opinion of someone with years of experience is valuable.

The issue with subjectivity is that it easily degenerates into a it-looks-bad-no-it-doesn't kind of argument. No one wins in these types of arguments.

All in all, we try to balance on the edge of a knife: try to acknowledge some subjectivity is inevitable and even valuable, while also trying to avoid the yes-no type of arguments that are just destructive.

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Some related reading materials:

From our own help docs:

https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask

yes, this blog post is over 10 years old, that's how long this debate has been going 😁

https://stackoverflow.blog/2010/09/29/good-subjective-bad-subjective/

A five year old discussion on our Meta, about why people where kind of trigger happy to close as subjective. (Note: our close reasons have since changed.)

I'm struggling to figure out why people vote the way they do regarding Opinion / Too Broad

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  • I just saw dictionary meaning of subjective. It says "based on your ideas or opinions". I think commenters mean mainly this?
    – Vikas
    Apr 2, 2021 at 9:28

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