The quality of being impartial, unbiased, and independent of personal feelings or opinions when observing, analyzing, or judging something. It involves viewing things as they actually are rather than as one wishes them to be.
From 'objective' (Medieval Latin 'objectivus', relating to an object) plus '-ity'. The philosophical distinction between subjective (in the mind) and objective (in external reality) developed in the 17th-18th centuries as scientists sought to distinguish reliable knowledge from personal opinion.
Objectivity promises to show us reality 'from nowhere' - as if we could step outside our own human perspective and see things from God's eye view! But modern science recognizes that even our most objective tools are still designed by humans with particular interests and limitations.
Scientific 'objectivity' has been coded as masculine detachment; women's situated knowledge and embodied expertise were historically dismissed as 'subjective' bias, marginalizing female scientists.
Acknowledge that multiple forms of rigor exist: use 'objectivity' alongside 'accountability,' 'reproducibility,' and 'transparency' to avoid coding masculine epistemology as the only valid form.
["rigor","transparency","verifiability"]
Standpoint epistemology—valuing diverse perspectives as sources of knowledge—emerged partly from feminist philosophy of science challenging male-default 'objectivity.'
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