Objectivity is ... What is objectivity?
Often you can hear such criticism that someone"not objective." And this seems like a universal argument against the speaker. Objectivity is a property, a characteristic, or one of the conditions? How specialized is this term? Does it have a purely positive coloring or a priori neutral? The definition of objectivity, its connection with subjectivity, objectivity in philosophy and its role in the scientific picture of the world is the subject of the article below.
Terminology
A logical dictionary gives very strict, though notquite understandable definition, which is based on the concept of subjectivity. In short, objectivity is a judgment that does not depend on subjective tastes and preferences.
But such a definition is incomplete and requires morein-depth knowledge in the subject of the study. That's why it's better to turn to Ushakov's dictionary. It says that objectivity is an unbiased and impartial attitude.
In addition, it is often specified that the termis an abstract noun formed from the word "objective". Efremova, in turn, argues that the latter can be described by the following definition: related to external conditions.
Objective and subjective
Returning to the very first given heredefinition, it is necessary to mention the term "subjectivity" including. Roughly speaking, these two concepts are opposite. Subjectivity directly depends on personal preferences and tastes, it is related to the interests and views of the subject.
Object and Subject
For the convenience of operating concepts,that what the activity is directed to is called an object. The subject can be given the following description: he who regulates and, in fact, carries out activities as such.
The history of the concepts of "subjectivity" and "objectivity"
It is interesting to note that the Latin words from which the terms in question originated originally had diametrically opposite meanings relative to each other.
Until the nineteenth century, the situation withuncertain definitions of terms remained the norm. Objectivity in philosophy was interpreted differently by different thinkers. This phenomenon always occurs with terms that have origins in this science. Only in the 20-30-ies. This century, dictionaries began to appear descriptions of subjectivity and objectivity, close to the modern. Similarly, with the current ones, they also contained cross references to each other.
The next stage of development was the view that subjectivity corresponds to art, and objectivity to science. This was facilitated by a clear delineation of these spheres.
This identification of one with another is strongwas entrenched and, moreover, sharpened the definitions to modern standards in the form in which they are recognized now and in what they are given directly in this article.
Objectivity as a property
Reality as an external world possessesobjectivity. Why? First, because it is the root cause for itself. Secondly, a person and his consciousness is a product of reality at one of the stages of its development. And he (man), in turn, is a reflection of the objective world.
One of the conditions of objectivity is just the sameits independence from the generation of the external world (human consciousness). From the above, we can draw the following conclusion: the term can be not only a principle, but also a property.
Principle of objectivity
The main question of philosophy is: what is primary, spirit or matter? The dilemma has two corresponding solutions. And if the second (that is, all the same matter) is taken as a basis, there is a need to recognize the objectively real existence of the object of cognition, as well as the possibility that in the course of human objective activity it will find its adequate reflection.
The principle of objectivity corresponds to this typethinking, in which the subject of research is not subjected to a subjective evaluation, that is, does not receive external definitions, but manifests its own properties. The subject does not submit to thinking, on the contrary, the first stands above the second. It can be said that truth is what will remain true, even if it is denied.
Scientific objectivity
Objectivity is one of the most important requirements of the scientific method. This is justified by the exception of the subjective interpretation of the result.
The principle of scientific objectivity is a feature of the scientific method. He commits himself to:
- reasoning (to be evident and justified);
- aspiration for the most complete knowledge, withstanding experience testing;
- multilateral methods and evaluation;
- a balanced combination of these methods and methods of research (for example, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction).
Thus, objectivity is what brings a scientific approach to the truth, but does not make it absolutely true.
