Objectivity
December 20th, 2006 by Mike
From “Realism and Social Science” by Andrew Sayer:
Three definitions of Objective:
Objective (1) -means value-neutral, indifferent or value-free, for example, ‘I personally don’t stand to gain or lose from the situation, so I can perhaps give a more objective account of it.’ Correspondingly, ’subjective (1)’ means value-laden, as in ‘I’ve known her as a friend for years so my views on her are subjective’.
Objective (2) -as in ‘the search for objective knowledge’ is a synonym for ‘true’, or perhaps ‘practically adequate’. Correspondingly, in contrast, ’subjective (2)’ implies an idea that is ‘not true’ or ‘merely a matter of opinion’.
Objective (3) -as in ‘the objective properties of capital’ means ‘pertaining to objects’, as distinct from subjects and refers to the nature of things regardless of what we or others may think about them. This is opposed to ’subjective (3)’, which means ‘pertaining to subjects’ and concerns what we think, experience, believe or feel about something, as in ‘the subjective experience of class’. This also relates to the situated and embodied character of knowledge, emphasized by feminism.