Object
Object in the language of metaphysics, is that of which any thinking being or subject can become cognizant. This subject itself, however, is capable of transmutation into an object, for one may think about his thinking faculty. To constitute a metaphysical object, actual existence is not necessary; it is enough that it is conceived by the subject. Nevertheless, it is customary to employ the term objective as synonymous with real, so that a thing is said to be "objectively" considered when regarded in itself, and according to its nature and properties, and to be "subjectively" considered when it is presented in its relation to us, or as it shapes itself in our apprehension. Skepticism denies the possibility of objective knowledge; i.e. it denies that we can ever become certain that our cognition of an object corresponds with the actual nature of that object. The verbal antithesis of objective and subjective representation is also largely employed in the fine arts; but even here, though the terms may be convenient, the difference expressed by them is only one of degree, and not of kind.
