User:LBird BASc/sandbox/ATK/Seminar6/Truth/The coexistence of objective and subjective truths in different disciplines
We can divide truth into two types: objective and subjective ones. An objective truth is one that is true independent of our observations whilst a subjective one has to do with our personal feelings, emotions, or perspectives.
Although we normally associate objective truths to science and subjective ones to the humanities, there exist both objective and subjective truths within both fields. We will look at 3 examples of disciplines which exhibit these two types of truths.
Physics[edit | edit source]
Largely considered one of the most fundamental and oldest disciplines, physics could be considered the study of everything. Physics concerns itself with the study of the physical universe around us: matter (anything with mass and volume) and its mechanics, energy and its interactions, etc. Physics is the scientific study of reality, thus every discipline within reality is somehow affected by physics since in a certain way, everything relates back to physics. Were it not for the most basic of observations, we would not be where we are today. Being such a scientific discipline, we would expect it, along with the other science streams, to exhibit only objective truths. How would physics be subjective in any way?
If we take a look at the history of physics, it starts out with astronomy. The earliest civilizations such as the Babylonians or Greeks were fascinated by celestial objects, and frequently drew out their observations. The babylonians, for example, were the first to discover the lunar eclipses occurred in recurring cycles. Archimedes of Syracuse, stated a law of physics Archimedes's_Principle that is still valid today when he discovered that “any object, totally or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object”. This could be an example of an objective truth: it is a fact concerning the real physical and is independent of our human subjective experience.
As the decades went on, physics maintained a steady rhythm of progress, until the Scientific Revolution came to be. One of the most notable manifestations of this scientific revolution was when Copernicus and Galilei proved that we in fact live in a heliocentric model; that is the earth revolves around the sun and not vice versa. This discovery furthermore marked the end of the influence of religion on science as this physical model of our world contradicted the bible. This is another example of an objective truth in physics: the earth revolves around the sun, and no one can contradict this.
Following the progression of the scientific revolution, we reach Isaac Newton and his groundwork for classical mechanics which basically describe how objects move through space through rigorous mathematical analysis. However, we now reach a moment of subjective truth in Physics: Isaac Newton proposed that any celestial object could be described through his theories, and this was proven through his works. However, his works were based on insufficient observations as Einstein later proved with his general theory of relativity. This case is a good example of a subjective truth because it shows that we tend to forget that science is based first and foremost on observations, and that every observation is subjective in the first place. Isaac Newton’s discovery was therefore subjective because it relied on his personal observations which were incomplete.
Even now in 2019 we still haven’t found a unified theory of physics because no physics theory in itself is 100% accurate or true. Quantum physics tend to contradict classical mechanics very often, meaning there is no one absolutely objective truth, just a bunch of subjective truths.
History[edit | edit source]
In most cases, history is considered to be a discipline, which greatly relies on a combination of concrete evidence, facts and subjective opinions that often come from primary sources. It is a study of the past, directly linked to human interaction on the microscale as well as global trends and events on the macroscale. Historians often rely on a variety of sources in order to reduce bias as much as possible and have a pluralist outlook when making conclusions about events in the past. However, there still remains a subjective element to their findings as it is difficult to make completely neutral conclusions about events that one did not witness as well as due the existence of personal bias. Although historians can use statistical analysis and data, human records also play a crucial role, which are often considered to be normative, non-empirical and relative. This is why Historical Scepticism exists.
On the other hand, there are elements of history, which must be considered objective and absolute. History is always undergoing debates as new findings are found and perspectives created, but some events of the past are generally agreed upon. If every single event in the past was doubted consensus could never be achieved and historical facts would not be considered as true. For example, events such as the First and Second world wars or 9/11 are known to be fact and an objective historical truth. If anyone disputed the occurrence of these events they would be considered delusional. Nevertheless, the causes of these events and how they are interpreted are much more subjective. For example, although there is a general consensus regarding the role played by imperialism in causing the first world war, there are debates regarding other factors involved and whether the war was inevitable. Another important aspect is how historians interpret primary sources and their background.
Overall, a thin line can be drawn between subjective and objective truth in history. Many known facts are countered with revisionist perspectives and new findings, which brings out the importance of rationality when revising the history of the past.