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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Andromeda2025: [QB] I will let a white guy who is obviously intelligent answer this question. https://www.quora.com/How-objective-is-science-Is-anything-completely-objective Tom McFarlane, Degrees in physics, mathematics, and philosophy "Answered Sep 17, 2015 Objectivity is a goal we can aspire to, but it can never be attained. To understand why, first we need to clarify what exactly is meant by objectivity. Before we discuss science, let's start with mathematics. Most people would say that 2+2=4 is an example of an objective mathematical truth. But, in fact, it is only true relative to a certain set of axioms. You and I are free to choose different axioms, and 2+2=4 may be false for you but true for me. So, it is clearly not a completely objective truth. Similarly, if I adopt axioms of Euclidean geometry, the interior angles of a triangle always add up to 180°, while if you adopt axioms of non-Euclidean geometry, they do not. So, this geometrical proposition is not a completely objective truth. Because mathematical truth depends on our free, subjective choice of axioms, it is not completely objective. However, if we both adopt the same axioms, we will both necessarily agree upon what is true and what is false. In that sense, mathematical truth is objective, but only if we agree to constrain our subjective choices in the same way. Now, let's consider objectivity in empirical science. Most people would say that the 100-yard length of a football field is an example of an objective fact. But, in fact, according to relativity, intervals of length are only well defined relative to our choice of reference frame. Such choice is a free, subjective choice. You can choose one frame, and I can choose another. And the football field will have one length in your frame and another length in mine. We can say the length of the field is objective only if we agree to constrain our subjective choice of reference frame in the same way, e.g., we both adopt the frame of the football field. Actually, even if we are both in the rest frame of the field, its 100-yard length is still not completely objective. I could be using a mis-calibrated yardstick, or an idiosyncratic measurement procedure, or a survey yard instead of the common yard. I could even be using octal instead of decimal to represent my measurement results. A measurement of length is thus objective only relative to a choice of measurement procedure, units, and numerical representation. All of this illustrates the fact that we can treat something as objective only to the extent that we define and explicitly specify the subjective conditions under which it is defined or measured. Objectivity arises as the result of imposing common constraints on subjective choices in our definitions and procedures. The power and effectiveness of empirical science is a direct result of the degree to which it precisely and explicitly specifies the definitions and methods presupposed in making empirical measurements and formulating mathematical theories. To the extent that we constrain our subjective choices to these precisely specified conditions, we will eliminate arbitrary uncontrolled subjective variables. That is, that which is objective is clearly defined only by clearly defining and rigorously constraining what is subjective. The objective arises by constraining the subjective. 2.6k Views · 7 Upvotes Upvote7" [/QB][/QUOTE]
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