Objective Thinking By: Alexis Chauvette

Can a person think or perceive the world objectively?  We will explore:  Definition of an objective thought  Plato’s Objectivism  Nietzsche’s Perspectivism  Student Survey  Student Interviews  My Opinion  Concluding Thoughts

Introduction  Objectivism: the meta-ethical doctrine that there are certain moral truths that are independent of the attitudes of any individuals  Therefore a thought not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased: an objective opinion.  I found this topic intriguing because I am a Nursing Major and we are always taught to be objective when meeting new patients. I always wonder “Is that even possible”.

Let’s see what the Philosophers have to say……

Plato’s Theory of forms  reality consists of two realms. First, there is the physical world, the world that we can observe with our five senses. And second, there is a world made of eternal perfect “forms” or “ideas.”  “Forms” are perfect copies of the objects we see everyday that exist in another dimension. What we see everyday are imperfect copies of these “forms”  We can have “knowledge” of these forms but not of particular things.

So what is he saying?  Plato believes anything gained through the senses cannot be objective  Some objects will always be more than one thing (ex. beautiful and small) or will not be something.  Objects will be different to different observers (beautiful vs. ugly)  Everything we experience in our senses is contingent.  It can exist or it cannot exist, it will change from one state to another  Knowledge cannot change  The forms cannot change therefore we can have “knowledge” or objective thought on these ideas.  what he means is.... what he means is....

Nietzsche’s Theory of Perspectivism  “is a philosophy which says that there can be various different conceptual schemes or perspectives towards anything, none of which is more correct that its rivals. Essentially, this implies that there is no certain way of looking at the outside world.” (Shankar)

What does he mean? Believes that ideas are not biased from our perspectives and experiences but are solely the result of those experiences and perspectives. There is no absolute truth available. Everything we “know” as objective (ex. Science) is based of someone’s perspective.

Let’s test this Theory What do you see in the picture above?

Answers  This picture can be seen as two trees or as a face in the middle of the trees.  Look again...can you see the opposite picture?  This picture can be seen as a young or old woman.  Look again…can you see the opposite picture? -Based on Nietzsche’s Theory the reason you saw what you did the first time you viewed the picture is based on your previous experiences and on the world you have been exposed to. -Now that you have seen one image you may not be able to see the other image, therefore blocking your ability to “objectively” view the image

Let’s see what the Student’s have to say…..

Nursing Student Survey  As I previously stated being a Nurse requires objective thought.  When entering a new client’s room a Nurse needs to lay aside her previous judgments of (for example) an alcoholic client.  She/He may have had an experience with an alcoholic family member and may HATE them. The nurse needs to not displace these emotions onto the patient.  I took a survey of 20 students in my nursing class asking them if they believe Objective thought is possible  A simple “yes” or “no” answer was recorded

Results to the Student Survey  The Results showed  12 People (60%) said No  6 People (30%) said Yes  2 People (10%) said Not sure  Therefore a majority of the Nursing students questioned believe that objective thought is not possible

Interviews  I conducted 3 interviews from students of 3 different Majors.  A Nursing Student, a English/Psychology Major, and a Mechanical Engineer Major.  I decided to interview three different majors to acquire diversity in my data.  The interview consisted of 4 questions:  1. Do you believe in objective thought or objectivity in general?  2. Why? (in reference to above)  3. Is objectivity important in your major?  4. What influences your thoughts/ view of the world?

Nursing Student: Liana  “No I don’t believe that objectivity can exist.”  “Objectivity cannot exist because there is so much I have seen and been through that even when I try to suppress those feeling I unintentionally apply them to the situation”  “Yes it is very important in Nursing because a patient comes into the hospital seeking care and if the nurse applies her experiences to this patient then that patient may not receive the care they deserve.”  “I believe that the experiences I have been through, the way I was raised, my values, and my religion all play a role in how I view the world and ultimately make me unable to see the world objectively.”

English Major/Psychology Major: Carly  “No I do not believe that the world can be viewed objectively or that we can think objectively, although I would like to believe that it is possible because I think it is very important.”  “I don’t know exactly why. However it may be due to the fact that we are all raised in different ways. For example I may have a different view on things if I was raised down south like southern hospitality. I see people being to nice as annoying and in the way where down south I might see it as being friendly and normal/expected.”  “I don’t think that objectivity is important in English but is extremely important in psychology. When I write I write about how I am feeling at the time and how I view things therefore I can be subjective. When I am, in the future, dealing with a client who comes to me about having problems controlling their anger I cant judge them, I need to think objectively and come into the room with no judgment.”  “Influences arise from everything around us, the world we experience everyday and the people who we encounter throughout our journey.”

Engineer Major: Danielle  “I am not entirely sure if we can think objectively but I do believe that there is objectivity in the world, if that makes sense”  “I believe this because science and math is objective it is true no matter what so that is a thought, right? There is no proof that it is wrong but there is proof that it is right. When it comes to thinking though I don’t know if I could meet someone for the first time with no judgment. It may sound shallow but walking up to them I may judge them on their clothes, on their hair style, on what other people have said about them, etc. and as much as I would love to say I could ignore all that I do not believe that I could suppress all the thoughts running through my head. The person can prove me wrong later but my initial interaction with that person would be based off my subjective thoughts.”  “Objective viewing is important in my major, if that is what you would call it. Engineering is a lot of math and therefore it is important that the facts you receive are base of scientific evidence and can be proven correct by multiple people regardless of their experiences in life.”  “Objectivity is influenced by what I have experienced. Like I was saying earlier I may judge a guy with long hair off of a guy I knew in high school who was really dumb and didn’t do well in school but this new guy could be a genius but I assume he is dumb because of what I have experienced”

My Opinion  I have already stated a general idea of my opinion however I believe:  Objective thought is not possible. People have too many life experiences clogging their view of the world.  People may believe they are being “objective” while subconsciously applying their perspective.  Plato’s theory of “forms” is unrealistic to me no perfect copy exists.  Everyone perceives things in their own way therefore nothing can be “objective”

To sum it ALL up

Conclusion  Objective thought seems to be near impossible as agreed upon by both philosophers as well as majority of students I spoke with  Objectivity in total is also near impossible with exceptions of Plato’s “Theory of Form’s” as well as the idea of knowledge.  People need to become more aware of their personal experiences and how it effects their daily lives.

References Goudreau, D. M. (2013, 04 10). Interview by A.M Chauvette []. Objectivity. Kalish, L. G. (2013, 04 20). Interview by A.M Chauvette []. Objectivity. Lacewing, M. (n.d.). Is objective and absolute knowledge possible?. Retrieved from Knowledge.pdf Neuschatz, C. C. (2013, 04 10). Interview by A.M Chauvette []. Objectivity. Shankar, T. (n.d.). Retrieved from Shenvi, N. (n.d.). Retrieved from Soccio, D. J. (2010). Archetypes of wisdom: An introduction to philosophy. (8th ed.). Boston: WADSWORTH Cengage Learning. Solomon, R. C. (2008). The little philosophy book. Oxford University Press, USA.