Objective knowledge is a part of logic and is associated with knowledge of reality. It is separate from subjectivity, so it does not take into account individual emotions, sensations or mental processes. For example, that planets revolve around the sun is objective knowledge.
It is sometimes defined as an element that arises from judgment in which experiences are articulated. Philosophically, it is linked to the conception of truth.
It is also a fundamental part of scientific processes that seek “objective truth” as a way of approaching reality that allows establishing laws that explain the essential functioning of life.
It is open to levels of doubt and makes judgments that are not influenced by external factors. It is also often associated with objectivity and neutrality.
On the other hand, within the field of science, obtaining objective knowledge is the objective. This is seen as the most reliable knowledge of reality.
Characteristics
In the ideas of Karl Popper, an influential 20th century philosopher, objective knowledge is formed by the logic existing in our known theories. Publications, books, magazines, discussions and well-known debates, in turn, allow the increase or change of these same theories.
In this way, people can orient themselves with the aim of increasing knowledge, not from personal experiences, but through all possible interventions that address the validation of a theory. That is, objective knowledge is also achieved by a general consensus among people over time.
This is how objective knowledge is not related to the beliefs, feelings or actions of the subjects. “Knowledge in the objective sense is knowledge without a knower.” Some of the main characteristics of objective knowledge are:
– You have immediate access to reality. Gain knowledge of the environment directly from objects located in it.
– The truth in objective knowledge is external and independent of people’s subjective perception.
– It has a bias towards judgment in order to give conceptual form to human experiences and adopt a position in relation to a formulated theory.
– The evidence collected by scientific knowledge is empirical and based on practice, experimentation and observation of phenomena and facts. Objective knowledge, for example, is related to scientific knowledge, as both use the elaboration of theories.
Differences between objective and subjective knowledge
Subjective knowledge:
– It comes from mental processes related to people’s individual experience, emotions and perceptions.
– You are not open to doubt. Own and private knowledge is not oriented towards the search for evidence, as it is not possible to find it in what is captured or perceived individually.
– It has to do with what a person thinks they know about an event.
– Subjective knowledge cannot be shared by other individuals, as it comes from a specific perception that is not applicable outside the person who experiences it.
– Within a scientific view, subjective knowledge is imprecise, false, unscientific and rejectable.
Objective knowledge:
– It is independent of any subjective process of people. It is generated through the act of judging, in which a conceptual form of ideas, a postulation of theories, is created.
– It is related to doubt. The search for evidence is necessary.
– It can be shared and, in turn, work in different contexts for different groups of people. For example, in the world of science, mathematical laws can be applied in any context in the world and work in the same way.
– In the scientific view, it is accurate, true, scientific and acceptable
Examples of objective knowledge
Objective knowledge is related to what can be seen and reproduced in reality. He also uses hard facts that have a general acceptance in people, a consensus that has been built up over time.
It has to do with what is currently known about a thing, but not with what is claimed or believed to know. Some examples of what objective knowledge might be:
– the height of an object . It is a verifiable factor that can be observed and even evidenced in reality.
For example, the Eiffel Tower can be said to measure 324 meters from its base to the tip. However, it could also be said that it is “quite high”, but that would no longer be part of objective knowledge, but of subjective perception.
Scientific experiments . The scientific method is based on objective knowledge, which is observable.
It is known that the temperature at which water boils is 100 ° C, for example, and once scientifically experienced, it has been proven over time, achieving the same results and becoming objective knowledge.
– The location. Data about where a place is located, whether from a park or restaurant to a city or country, is considered it.
Thus, for example, it can be said that the White House, where the President of the United States lives, is located in Washington DC, the capital.
– the dates. In many documents, you can see the dates when events occur. These data are also part of objective knowledge. This is how, for example, on birth certificates, the date of birth of a person is considered a type of objective knowledge, because it is a recorded fact that does not depend on subjective perception.
– The weight. It is another aspect within measurement units that is related to it. The weight of an object is a factor that can be determined and evidenced by means of a scale.
For example, 1 kg of flour and 1 kg of lead weigh the same; however, their appearance in size and shape can be very different. From an objective point of view, both weigh the same when measured by a balance; however, subjectively, one can tell at a glance that one is heavier than the other.
