How Subjectivity Prevents Us From Being Open-Minded Individuals

. And no one Truth is right, because all of our beliefs are right in a way that makes sense to us. Two individuals can hear, watch, smell, taste, and feel the same experience and yet come out with different recollections and sentiments. This is commonly understood and respected. And yet, we still cannot seem to find agreement in having a difference in opinion. A different set of belief systems that don’t align with our own subjective Truths are perceived as opposing views; they seem foreign and dangerous. We trick our minds into thinking that ‘different’ is equal to ‘opposing’ — a toxic mindset which stems from our acquired taste for the dramatic and our lust for fabricated truths. Image source: BeouijaTo say that Allah is the God Almighty seems ludicrous to most Western religionists, but that is only due to our own limited ability to admit that our set of beliefs are based on subjectivity. If everyone prefaced their religious beliefs with, “in my opinion,” perhaps it would be less of an argument point. “In my opinion, there is no one God.” Here I explicitly suggest that my belief is based on subjectivity and should therefore stand on neutral soil. One can argue that there is one God; however, one cannot deny me a subjective, personal belief. That would be analogous to preventing someone from having an opinion. We think that there is one Absolute Truth when really, Truth itself, is a by-product of subjectivity. Everything is relative — just look around you. We believe that the Earth is round. That’s the ultimate Truth, we argue. Until someone comes along and proves that it is not. Sure that might seem absurd, after all there is so much scientific proof to support this paradigm. But it’s been done before. Even Science, as you may have suspected, is a by-product of subjectivity.

There is not one Scientific Truth, there are many of them. All we do is collectively agree on the one that seems to have the most traction and prominence at the time. Einstein suggests that, “Evolution has shown that at any given moment out of all conceivable constructions a single one has always proved itself to be absolutely superior to the rest.” Note how Einstein used the term “at any given moment,” implying that at any given time a different scientific discovery may come along and prove itself to be superior over the existing paradigm. Scientific Truth is temporal.

There is a great amount of controversy over the most superior diet for the human body. In fact, it’s one of the most relevant examples to illustrate how there is not one Scientific Truth, only a superior hypothesis which lies in the eye of the beholder. Are you a Paleo Dieter? Do you prefer an all-Vegetarian or Vegan diet? Are you one of those people that only eats fruits and vegetables that have not been picked, but rather, were given to you by natural selection? There is scientific validity to all of these diets. Research any of them, and you will be presented with a long list of scientific journals and research papers in support.

The question should not be: Which is the best diet for the human species? The real question is: Why are still fighting over what diet is best for the human species? You and I choose what we believe to be true. We make individualistic, subjective decisions about our choice of diet based on the scientific evidence that is the most convincing to us. So instead of fighting over the universal best diet, there should be one common consent to accept the validity of all of them based on scientific findings. And then there should be a second common consent to accept that every human individual should eat what makes their body and mind feel good. I believe that, as our understanding of subjectivity in relation to Truth grows, we become a more tolerant, open-minded, worldly community. So in light of this hypothesis, I would like to challenge you to write down your own set of beliefs. Start with “I believe that/in ____.” Once you are done, take a moment to examine your list of beliefs and acknowledge that these represent your Truth. Once completed, I’d invite you to Google different view points on the specific subjects that your beliefs correspond with. Note how I didn’t ask you to research opposing views. Keep a cool head throughout this exercise and remember that their Truth is subjective to their understanding of the world around them, which can be perceived as a million different things. Remember, you’re one in a million, truly, but so is someone else. .

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References:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth