Subjectivity or Objectivity
It drives me crazy that people think they must choose one or the other. Both play a role in our worldview.
Objective Reality
Past events are facts that happened. They have an objective truth. This is available information we can count on.
People who dispute that a particular past event occurred despite physical evidence documenting the event are illogical and divorced from objective reality.
Subjective Aspect of Reality
When we explore facts, we speak of explanations, moral or immoral choices, and future projections. These aspects are controlled by our personal beliefs and particular experiences. They are subjective.
Iraq War Example
Did the US fight a war with Iraq in 2003? The objective answer is yes.
What did the US win in Iraq? That event is in the past. It did occur, but the question requests an evaluation. Can we give an objective answer? No. the answer depends on your value system
If disposing Sadaam Hussein is a win, then that was done. It was a fact. Yes, my that metric the US won.
If removing threat of weapons of mass destruction from Iraq, was the goal, then the statement is vacuously true, as none weapons of mass destruction were found or removed.
If the goal of the Iraq War was to make the US safer, then it is more complicated. Safer is a word that means different things to different persons, especially a soldier fighting there, an Iraqi citizen, a law enforcement officer, an immigration official, a tourist travelling in the Mid East, and so on. Validity depends on a person’s viewpoint. The answer is subjective.
Other Perspectives on Iraq War
- What about the London subway and Madrid train bombings? Were they a consequence of the Iraq War?
- Do you recall the white powder sent to government officials? Did the Iraq War instigate those terrorist actions?
Objective facts and subjective reactions exist side-by-side in our worldviews.
Undesirable quirk. website requires preface http:// before http://www.~
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To me the I sounds a lot like the Tao, while obejct & subject might also represent Yin & Yang. My thinking these days is couched in eastern philosophy, tai chi training, etc. so the reference to dualism drove my thinking right to that area. Of course, these comparisons I’ve made may change as my intellect chews on these concepts for a while. This takes some real perseverance of thought, at least on my part, because I keep bumping up against the ego.So then if all is subjective, then I wonder are we manifestations of the Tao