Existential Concerns

Existential Concerns

We are only concerned about a proper understanding of “subjective” and “objective” because the two terms are commonly used in a way that indicates non-comprehension. This non-comprehension has implications for the ability of people to manage their lives and solve problems.

Where there is smooth functioning, people usually do not concern themselves with such questions.

Recognizing the truth problem, we question the way in which judgments are made, and the validity of specific judgments in relation to specific problems.

The problem is considered in general terms (relative to humanity as a whole) only because there are evidently numerous cases of human error, but any general consideration may lose the specificity in which actual problems are grounded, and thus lose touch with reality. The problem of knowledge is specific to the individual asking the question, as it is to a context, an actual problem.

The original posing of the subjective/objective duality is that of the individual on an individual journey. The subject "I" must act in the world, and to do so effectively, needs to understand both self and world.

The subject looks out at a specific part of the world, depending on his location and on the direction of his gaze. His psychology is also individual. Any problem that he experiences is related to what he wants or chooses to do.

To begin, the "objective world" is simply what appears to the subject. How that world is analyzed, interpreted, understood or misunderstood is an expression of the individual psychology, already a factor, before any profound psychological or philosophical questions are asked.

Any object may appear differently after analysis, as the new appearance reflects the investment of mental activity by the subject. The world view is altered naturally through physical motion (travel) and cognitive motion (thought), but the basic relation of subject and object never changes.

The world appears to the subject, who is conscious as both seer and actor within the world.

The freedom of the subject is realized as a freedom to move (both physically and mentally), and, transcendentally, as the freedom of the Witness, who is not identified with any appearance but with consciousness as pure subjectivity.

Objections to the Objective World

The objection to an "objective world," conceived apart from its natural realization by the individual, is that it can be an alienating concept. As no objective reality, apart from a subject, is ever observed or investigated, the existence of such a reality is only hypothesized. This hypothetical world exists as a fiction over the horizon of human experience. At best, it may be a useful reminder that there is more to the world than what meets the eye.

But the use of the word "objective" is still linguistically perverse for an object that is not observed; as a mere hypothesis, the "objective world" exists only in the imagination as an abstraction; it is not objective (apparent) at all.

Whether the concept itself is useful or alienating may depend on the manner in which it is used. In a healthy sense, it is akin to the term "unconscious," which reminds us of factors that may be brought to full consciousness.

In a relative sense, closer to the existential reality, the objective world refers to “the real fact,” discoverable by investigation, as distinct from what merely appears. But who discovers this fact, and what is the purpose that underlies this discovery? And why should others, not participants in the same discovery, applaud it or even accept that a discovery has been made? If claims are accepted at face value, it can only be through trust, not science.

The problem is amplified through social organization, education and politics, leading to notions of an objective reality that are not merely hypothetical, but yet not existential or experiential for those who receive second-hand reports. Such a process, which fosters alienation and social control based on authority, can be used to undermine the reality of the individual, free will and personal responsibility, while pushing reliance on experts, and a permanent childhood for the majority of human beings.