How often have you heard someone tell you to be objective about things? It pops up all the time in arguments, while taking decisions, and heated discussions. It almost seems universal that ‘being objective’ about decisions is considered the ‘right’ way to process. In fact, ‘you are being subjective’ is thrown at people in a derogatory manner and as abuse in discussions.
Philosophically Speaking
This unnatural emphasis that we lay on objectivity emerges from the scientific orientation of the world. Everything that we speak of needs to be proven with facts, logic, studies, and science. However, when we take away the subjectivity from all that we do or say, we are merely converting ourselves into objects. The objects in the world have meaning because we perceive them in a certain manner. The manner in which we perceive it is not and cannot be (based on our biological and cognitive limitations) absolutely objective. And therefore, when we banish subjectivity from being a good thing, we banish the meaning that we ascribe to life and the world around us.
Don’t get me wrong! I love what we have been able to accomplish due to the advancements in science. It has given us miracles like electricity, comfort, telephones, healthcare and the internet. But we seem to have tilted so much in favor of science in almost everything we do that we have forgotten that human beings cannot be completely objective at all.
Education is Killing Subjectivity as Well
With all the emphasis on science, the education system has also adopted objectivity. Teaching methods have been based on facts and regurgitating those facts on paper. In fact, as time goes by, the test papers increasingly have only ‘multiple-choice questions’, which essentially means that there is one right answer. We study for these exams with that in mind and there is very little scope for putting forward an opinion or point of view.
The good news is that some disciplines recognize this error and are re-introducing the subjective element of learning into teaching methods again.
Objectivity Kills Compassion
A large number of people who consider themselves intellectual also think they are capable of being extremely objective. I have been extremely proud of my own objectivity until lately where I realize that it interferes with my empathy and compassion. The interference is so great that I feel that I almost come across as a cold person while inside I feel much more compassionate.
It’s somewhat like the experiment that a professor conducted in his class when he got in a bowling ball and asked one student to stand on his right and the other student to stand on his left. He asked each one of them the color of the ball. While the one on the right said ‘black’, the one on the left insisted that the color of the ball was ‘white’. Each of the students literally laughed at the other for being ‘stupid’ or ‘color-blind’ or ‘out of their minds’. The real deal was that the professor had drawn a line right through the middle of the ball and painted one side white while he painted the other side black. Think of the kind of hurtful words that could be avoided if only we did not have unfailing and obstinate confidence in what we see and what we consider so obviously objective!
Objectivity Kills Openness
Being objective or rather considering yourself as an objective person also harms your openness to new ideas, thoughts, and suggestions. When I think that I am being objective in the way I am looking at things, I tend to consider them as absolute facts. This leads me to believe that there can be no other way of interpreting the situation since I can see it objectively.
Needless to say, absolute objectivity is not possible. So, by believing that I am being objective, not only do I become stubborn and repulsive, I also deny myself an opportunity to learn something new (and I am otherwise quite a fan of learning all the time – so I have given a great reason to myself while writing this to not think that I can see things objectively).
I think it would serve me and my goals better to replace this trumpet about objectivity (which in fact does not exist because it can’t) with openness, transparency, a genuine desire to learn from the experiences of others and fairness. Wish me luck!
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