PHIL 203 Lecture 7: Week 7 Notes
Week 7 Notes
Objectivity
Scientific experiments were shows
Element of witnessing was very important
Objectivity is itself a cognitive value attached to conduct of science
17th century experiments were strategies of ratification
a ‘proper witness’ must be present, a gentlemen who is trustworthy and has
the right moral credentials
oshowcases how objectivity has a history
owe value objectivity, but what are we valuing?
oNatural sciences embody not just a gentleman
To determine what is objective, we must decide what is not
oMisguided use is that an objective account of something must give
equal weight and time to opposing viewpoints
oTo be objective is to give all differing views equal footing
All views brought to the table with equal epistemic weight fosters the
manufacturing of ignorance and doubt (as well as facile relativism)
Heldke and Kellert
Argue that objectivity is a responsibility
A moral stance, objective knowledge is the product of espousing certain
specific values
Propose 3-part plan
1.First, explicitly acknowledge that, as an inquirer, you are not free of
interests, values, goals, and presuppositions. It may be tempting to
think that an objective approach to an inquiry means that the inquirer is
dispassionate, a mere remote observer of the world, emotionally
disengaged and unclouded by preconceived ideas. This is a myth. Science
is a human activity, undertaken by communities of people in specific
historical and cultural settings, and it is automatically freighted with a
cluster of human foibles, for better and for worse. We need to be
explicitly aware of our goals and values: we need to raise them to the
surface, and scrutinize them: this is part of the demand of comprehensive
rationality, as I called it in previous sections.
2. Second, live up to that acknowledgement! Heldke & Kellert point
out that responsibility involves responding: an objective inquirer must
not just be aware of her own goals and values, but must also be willing
to respond to challenges to her inquiry (as long as those challenges
are themselves responsible), and respond to a reasonable demand for
justification, not just of the results of inquiry but of the values that led
to it in the first place.
3. Finally, and this is of special importance when the object of study is
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Document Summary
Objectivity is itself a cognitive value attached to conduct of science. All views brought to the table with equal epistemic weight fosters the manufacturing of ignorance and doubt (as well as facile relativism) A moral stance, objective knowledge is the product of espousing certain specific values. 1. first, explicitly acknowledge that, as an inquirer, you are not free of interests, values, goals, and presuppositions. It may be tempting to think that an objective approach to an inquiry means that the inquirer is dispassionate, a mere remote observer of the world, emotionally disengaged and unclouded by preconceived ideas. Science is a human activity, undertaken by communities of people in specific historical and cultural settings, and it is automatically freighted with a cluster of human foibles, for better and for worse. Seek out the perspective of those who have been traditionally excluded, those who have been studied as though they were objects and not subjects in their own right, with a legitimate perspective.
