Are truth and objectivity the same thing?
No..
"One can arrive at true theories in a non-objective way. Indeed, one can hit upon the truth purely at random. Conversely, objective theories are not necessarily true. The history of science provides plenty of examples of the objective formulation and defense of theories that have turned out to be false and have been replaced by other theories. Objectivity is no guarantee of truth, any more than truth can only be the outcome of objectivity."
"The problem with thinking of objectivity exclusively in general terms, as elimination of prejudice or bias, is that it encourages an absolutist view of objectivity. The prime example of such an absolutist conception is the view from nowhere.
There are two problems with this conception. First, the idea that we are being guided towards the truth is wholly misleading. What we are being guided towards are the best answers to the questions that we pose. If you deploy objective procedures in answering a misconceived, confused or misleading question, it is highly likely that the answer will get you nowhere.
Second, any attempt to assimilate objectivity and truth faces the difficulty that they behave in different ways. Note in particular that objectivity comes in degrees. One theory can be more objective than another, but a theory cannot be truer than another.
Whereas truth is absolute and does not come in degrees, objectivity only comes in degrees. The idea of absolute objectivity is a misconception. encouraged by thinking of it as a view from nowhere.
What we are seeking to do in imposing standards of objectivity in our judgments in modern science is to identify and separate the informative and the uninformative, with a view to producing reliable results."
from: Stephen Gaukroger "Objectivity."
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8 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Good article... I don't necessarily agreed with truth being absolute... Ex. Every rule has an exception...
Cutiebeauty
Level 9
Feb 7, 2019
0
An assertion can be true with respect to one logical system and yet be false with respect to another, depending on the basic assumptions of each system. The assertion might also be undecideable or meaningless in some systems. We’d like to think of truth as absolute but when it comes down to brass tacks our way of knowing is based on assumptions, many of which are superficial or incorrect.
Spiritual people speak of truth as knowledge of a higher or absolute reality. I’m not sure why that is referred to as “truth”, but in any event that is not our everyday truth. Maybe they are talking about mystical experience.
There is truth, knowledge, and experience, all of which are tied together but I’m not sure of just how.
WilliamFleming
Level 8
Feb 7, 2019
1
'Objectivity' is a point of view. It is the 'view from nowhere' because 'objectivity' as objective is not possible.
"The View From Nowhere is a book by philosopher Thomas Nagel. Published by Oxford University Press in 1986, it contrasts passive and active points of view in how humanity interacts with the world, relying either on a subjective perspective that reflects a point of view or an objective perspective that takes a more detached perspective. Nagel describes the objective perspective as the "view from nowhere", one where the only valuable ideas are ones derived independently."
Objectivity is a perspective, a point of view, and there is no purely objective viewpoint.
cava
Level 7
Feb 7, 2019
2
At last! A post with some depth for considered opinion. Well done Matias. Contributions have been a bit weak on here of late!
Geoffrey51
Level 8
Feb 7, 2019
3
I concur with this analysis. It’s a mistake, commonly made, to conflate the two.
Marionville
Level 10
Feb 7, 2019
2
There is one more point on that.
Sometimes (most of them) truth exists, but it cannot be achieved by the knowledge/capacity that we have (or even in principle cannot be achieved at all like the uncertainty principle).
The objectivity is to get information as close as possible to the truth to the point that is enough for the desired purposes. The whole science is based on that.
Nothing guarantees that the world operate in mathematical laws, but up to today they give us very good approximations.
Pedrohbds
Level 7
Feb 7, 2019
3
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