Objectivity? What’s that?

My eye caught a post in some blog that debated how objective, objectivity really is. My understanding of objective and subjective is slightly off-beat compared to most in the scientific world.

When you hold a ‘pure scientific’ paradigm, especially in ’subjective sciences’ like psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. you believe that you can do your science objectively. Now that I don’t believe.

It is totally impossible to be ‘objective’, since the moment you start to observe anything, you are involved. Your paradigm is involved. All the knowledge your paradigm holds get involved in your observations and eventual interpretations. You might think your paradigm is more ‘objective’, but that is not possible, because you will eventually use YOUR (subjective) paradigm to interpret what YOU are observing. YOUR observations and YOUR interpretations will become clear, not necessarily what you observe.

What pictures are you looking at?

Let me tell you a story that might encourage you to understand that your paradigm determines what you see, irrespective of what you look at.

Two (separate) American shoe manufacturing companies send their top marketing specialists to investigate the market for shoes in Africa. After two weeks both of them reported back to their respective head offices.

Black and white bowl us out, no?

I recently had an awakening about my paradigm (mind-set) of why I find it difficult to hear certain people and why it is so easy to hear others.

Last week I negotiated my future with a good friend of mine. Now, I remarked to him that I find our styles and ways incompatible. Before I continue, let me remind you that I find it very difficult to think in terms of right and wrong. This said, neither my friend nor am I right or wrong.