Objectivity does not exist, just as the sun does not rise or set.

There is no such thing as objectivity, just as there is no such thing as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, in fact, the sun neither rises nor sets.

Photo by Aurelien Romain on Unsplash

We all truly believe that “the sun rises in the east and sets in the west”. It’s obvious for us regardless of the place and time on earth this holds true and this is the most fundamental aspect for us human beings on earth. It’s in our education as well, the first example that comes to mind for a simple present tense, a universal truth “The Sun rises in the east”.

But the truth is that the sun neither rises nor sets. It’s the earth motion revolving around the sun, and seen from the frame of reference of earth, causing the sun to rise in the east and set in the west.

It is an unquestionable fact that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west from the frame of reference of earth, and may not be a fact when seen from a different frame of reference or point of view in the space.

Objectivity and subjectivity?

Objectivity is defined as unbiased, non-personal, verifiable fact-based thinking and decision-making.

Subjectivity the opposite of objectivity is defined as biased, non-verifiable, and personally interpretable thinking and decision making.

And that we need to have objectivity in our decision making, looking at facts devoid of personal biases.

The Truth is as humans, we are built with subjectivity, and so is the reason we are called subjects, and we do take it personally as much we would not like to and it is hard not to have subjectivity in our thinking and decision making.

How dumb I could be to not know this”, “I told you so”, “I didn’t see this coming” — how to avoid…

How does the sunrise fact related to objectivity?

If the universal fact “The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west” is questionable how then we all agree and in fact see it through everyone’s individual eyes. The singular reason is the frame of reference. We all human beings on earth have a single frame of reference or a viewpoint in simpler terms and so its obvious for us that the sun rises in the east, imagine we are at a different point (or different frame of reference) in space, will the sun still rise in the east and set in the west for everyone.

Similar to the sunrise and frame of reference, the important point is when an individual makes an objective decision there will be an unquestionable common frame of reference, and it becomes subjective when we have a different frame of reference.
So should we stop objectivity in our thinking and decision-making?

the point is not to avoid objectivity, but to be conscious that objectivity is not devoid of a frame of reference, a point of view.

Instead of thinking Objectivity in terms of unbiased observation based on facts, think that as an observation with an un-ambiguous and common frame of reference

Good decisions will always result in good outcomes, and I was wrong.

Why does it matter?

Knowing that objectivity is not devoid of a particular point of view helps us to have better thinking and help make better and non-regretful decisions.

Example:

1. As a leader how do you provide feedback to your team member? Before you give that feedback or critique, understand your frame of reference and bring your team member on the same point of reference, and then give the feedback. The team member rather than resenting and defending will be glad you gave that feedback.
2. As a team member, how can you convince your leader that you did the best you can? Before you are about to resent and defend your work against feedback, understand the frame of reference or point of view of your leader see if it makes sense if not see if you can help change the frame of reference and give the new point of view to your leader.
3. How not regret a job change you made that did not work after joining the organization? When you want to make that job switch and unable to make choice, understand what is the frame of reference that you are working with, question your point of view and write it down. When the job switch didn’t work for you can come back and look at your frame of reference, does it hold good, what did you miss, what did go wrong, helps in avoiding similar mistakes in the future.
4. How to convince your partner to take that vacation? If you can’t make a decision, where to go, how much to spend, see if both of you have the same frame of reference, where does it differ, and can both reach a common point of reference to help have the vacation. (success rate is not guaranteed but worth trying every penny :))

Remember the dialog by Al Pacino in Godfather, everything is personal

Sonny: You’re taking it personal, it’s just business

Michael (Al Pacino): Angrily but with cold face, Sonny “It’s all personal, and I learn’t from him, the old man, the Godfather”

Thank you for reading this article — I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to comment, share it or simply use the link and let me know what you think about it.