Objectivity

Author : Lorraine Daston,Peter Galison
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 345 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2021-02-02
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781942130611

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Objectivity by Lorraine Daston,Peter Galison Pdf

Objectivity has a history, and it is full of surprises. In Objectivity, Lorraine Daston and Peter Galison chart the emergence of objectivity in the mid-nineteenth-century sciences — and show how the concept differs from alternatives, truth-to-nature and trained judgment. This is a story of lofty epistemic ideals fused with workaday practices in the making of scientific images. From the eighteenth through the early twenty-first centuries, the images that reveal the deepest commitments of the empirical sciences — from anatomy to crystallography — are those featured in scientific atlases: the compendia that teach practitioners of a discipline what is worth looking at and how to look at it. Atlas images define the working objects of the sciences of the eye: snowflakes, galaxies, skeletons, even elementary particles. Galison and Daston use atlas images to uncover a hidden history of scientific objectivity and its rivals. Whether an atlas maker idealizes an image to capture the essentials in the name of truth-to-nature or refuses to erase even the most incidental detail in the name of objectivity or highlights patterns in the name of trained judgment is a decision enforced by an ethos as well as by an epistemology. As Daston and Galison argue, atlases shape the subjects as well as the objects of science. To pursue objectivity — or truth-to-nature or trained judgment — is simultaneously to cultivate a distinctive scientific self wherein knowing and knower converge. Moreover, the very point at which they visibly converge is in the very act of seeing not as a separate individual but as a member of a particular scientific community. Embedded in the atlas image, therefore, are the traces of consequential choices about knowledge, persona, and collective sight. Objectivity is a book addressed to any one interested in the elusive and crucial notion of objectivity — and in what it means to peer into the world scientifically.

Author : David Usborne
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2010
Category : Industrial design
ISBN : 0500515018

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Objectivity by David Usborne Pdf

This miscellany of mysterious objects celebrates the beauty of simple, useful things. If you have ever thatched a roof, measured a skull, stuffed a rabbit or walked on a whale, you may well recognize some of these tools. If you haven't, but admire the work of, say, Miró, Duchamp and Cornell, you will appreciate these accidental masterpieces of the everyday. These are the tools of life, some developed according to our basic human needs, some for less obvious ends, still others from vanishing trades, yet all display a beauty and meaning beyond their function. There is something in these objects that will touch the designer, artist, inventor or collector in us all.

Author : Crispin Wright
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 263 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2009-07-01
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780674045385

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Truth and Objectivity by Crispin Wright Pdf

Crispin Wright offers an original perspective on the place of “realism” in philosophical inquiry. He proposes a radically new framework for discussing the claims of the realists and the anti-realists. This framework rejects the classical “deflationary” conception of truth yet allows both disputants to respect the intuition that judgments, whose status they contest, are at least semantically fitted for truth and may often justifiably be regarded as true. In the course of his argument, Wright offers original critical discussions of many central concerns of philosophers interested in realism, including the “deflationary” conception of truth, internal realist truth, scientific realism and the theoreticity of observation, and the role of moral states of affairs in explanations of moral beliefs.

Author : Sandra Harding
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 232 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2015-05-18
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780226241531

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Objectivity and Diversity by Sandra Harding Pdf

Worries about scientific objectivity seem never-ending. Social critics and philosophers of science have argued that invocations of objectivity are often little more than attempts to boost the status of a claim, while calls for value neutrality may be used to suppress otherwise valid dissenting positions. Objectivity is used sometimes to advance democratic agendas, at other times to block them; sometimes for increasing the growth of knowledge, at others to resist it. Sandra Harding is not ready to throw out objectivity quite yet. For all of its problems, she contends that objectivity is too powerful a concept simply to abandon. In Objectivity and Diversity, Harding calls for a science that is both more epistemically adequate and socially just, a science that would ask: How are the lives of the most economically and politically vulnerable groups affected by a particular piece of research? Do they have a say in whether and how the research is done? Should empirically reliable systems of indigenous knowledge count as "real science"? Ultimately, Harding argues for a shift from the ideal of a neutral, disinterested science to one that prizes fairness and responsibility.

Author : Allan Megill
Publisher : Duke University Press
Page : 356 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 1994
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0822314940

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Rethinking Objectivity by Allan Megill Pdf

Although "objectivity" is a term used widely in many areas of public discourse, from discussions concerning the media and politics to debates over political correctness and cultural literacy, the question "What is objectivity?" is often ignored, as if the answer were obvious. In this volume, Allan Megill has gathered essays from fourteen leading scholars in a variety of fields--history, anthropology, philosophy, psychology, history of science, sociology of science, feminist studies, literary studies, and accounting--to gain critical understanding of the idea of objectivity as it functions in today's world. In diverse essays the authors provide fascinating studies of objectivity in such areas as anthropological research, corporate and governmental bureaucracies, legal discourse, photography, and the study and practice of the natural sciences. Taken together, Megill argues, this volume calls for developing a notion of "objectivities." The absolute sense of objectivity--that is, objectivity as a "God's eye view"--must be supplemented, and in part supplanted, by disciplinary, procedural, and dialectical senses of objectivity. This book will be of great interest to a broad range of scholars as it presents current thinking on a topic of fundamental concern across the disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. Contributors. Barry Barnes, Dagmar Barnouw, Lorraine Code, Lorraine Daston, Johannes Fabian, Kenneth J. Gergen, Mary E. Hawkesworth, Barbara Herrnstein Smith, Evelyn Fox Keller, George Levine, Allan Megill, Peter Miller, Andy Pickering, Theodore M. Porter

Author : Tyler Burge
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 645 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2010-03-04
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780199581405

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Origins of Objectivity by Tyler Burge Pdf

Tyler Burge's study investigates the most primitive ways in which individuals represent the physical world. By reflecting on the science of perception and related psychological and biological sciences, Burge outlines the constitutive conditions for perceiving the physical world, thus locating the origins of representational mind.

Author : Charles Coulston Gillispie
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 591 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 1960
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691023502

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The Edge of Objectivity by Charles Coulston Gillispie Pdf

Full circle -- Art, life, and experiment -- The new philosophy -- Newton with his prism and silent face -- Science and the Enlightenment -- The rationalization of matter -- The history of nature -- Biology comes of age -- Early energetics -- Field physics -- Epilogue.

Author : Peter Machamer,Gereon Wolters
Publisher : University of Pittsburgh Pre
Page : 327 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780822970866

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Science, Values, and Objectivity by Peter Machamer,Gereon Wolters Pdf

Collection of essays that identify the values crucial to science, distinguish some of the criteria that can be used for value identification, and elaborate the conditions for warranting certain values as necessary or central to scientific research.

Author : Stephen Gaukroger
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 129 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2012-05-24
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780191642098

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Objectivity: A Very Short Introduction by Stephen Gaukroger Pdf

- Is objectivity possible? - Can there be objectivity in matters of morals, or tastes? - What would a truly objective account of the world be like? - Is everything subjective, or relative? - Are moral judgments objective or culturally relative? Objectivity is both an essential and elusive philosophical concept. An account is generally considered to be objective if it attempts to capture the nature of the object studied without judgement of a conscious entity or subject. Objectivity stands in contrast to subjectivity: an objective account is impartial, one which could ideally be accepted by any subject, because it does not draw on any assumptions, prejudices, or values of particular subjects. Stephen Gaukroger shows that it is far from clear that we can resolve moral or aesthetic disputes in this way and it has often been argued that such an approach is not always appropriate for disciplines that deal with human, rather than natural, phenomena. Moreover, even in those cases where we seek to be objective, it may be difficult to judge what a truly objective account would look like, and whether it is achievable. This Very Short Introduction demonstrates that there are a number of common misunderstandings about what objectivity is, and explores the theoretical and practical problems of objectivity by assessing the basic questions raised by it. As well as considering the core philosophical issues, Gaukroger also deals with the way in which particular understandings of objectivity impinge on social research, science, and art. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Author : Lewis Raven Wallace
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 246 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2023-03-22
Category : History
ISBN : 9780226826585

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The View from Somewhere by Lewis Raven Wallace Pdf

A look at the history of the idea of the objective journalist and how this very ideal can often be used to undercut itself. In The View from Somewhere, Lewis Raven Wallace dives deep into the history of “objectivity” in journalism and how its been used to gatekeep and silence marginalized writers as far back as Ida B. Wells. At its core, this is a book about fierce journalists who have pursued truth and transparency and sometimes been punished for it—not just by tyrannical governments but by journalistic institutions themselves. He highlights the stories of journalists who question “objectivity” with sensitivity and passion: Desmond Cole of the Toronto Star; New York Times reporter Linda Greenhouse; Pulitzer Prize-winner Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah; Peabody-winning podcaster John Biewen; Guardian correspondent Gary Younge; former Buzzfeed reporter Meredith Talusan; and many others. Wallace also shares his own experiences as a midwestern transgender journalist and activist who was fired from his job as a national reporter for public radio for speaking out against “objectivity” in coverage of Trump and white supremacy. With insightful steps through history, Wallace stresses that journalists have never been mere passive observers. Using historical and contemporary examples—from lynching in the nineteenth century to transgender issues in the twenty-first—Wallace offers a definitive critique of “objectivity” as a catchall for accurate journalism. He calls for the dismissal of this damaging mythology in order to confront the realities of institutional power, racism, and other forms of oppression and exploitation in the news industry. The View from Somewhere is a compelling rallying cry against journalist neutrality and for the validity of news told from distinctly subjective voices.

Author : Steven Maras
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 295 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2013-04-03
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9780745663920

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Objectivity in Journalism by Steven Maras Pdf

Objectivity in journalism is a key topic for debate in media, communication and journalism studies, and has been the subject of intensive historical and sociological research. In the first study of its kind, Steven Maras surveys the different viewpoints and perspectives on objectivity. Going beyond a denunciation or defence of journalistic objectivity, Maras critically examines the different scholarly and professional arguments made in the area. Structured around key questions, the book considers the origins and history of objectivity, its philosophical influences, the main objections and defences, and questions of values, politics and ethics. This book examines debates around objectivity as a transnational norm, focusing on the emergence of objectivity in the US, while broadening out discussion to include developments around objectivity in the UK, Australia, Asia and other regions.

Author : Max Kölbel
Publisher : Psychology Press
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0415272459

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Truth Without Objectivity by Max Kölbel Pdf

Kölbel examines and rejects the mainstream view of 'meaning' and how this relates to truth, instead developing and defending an alternative, relativist, theory.

Author : Thomas L. Haskell
Publisher : JHU Press
Page : 446 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2000-11-15
Category : History
ISBN : 0801865352

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Objectivity Is Not Neutrality by Thomas L. Haskell Pdf

Haskell explores topics ranging from the productivity of slave labor to the cultural concomitants of capitalism, from John Stuart Mill's youthful "mental crisis" to the cognitive preconditions that set the stage for antislavery and other humanitarian reforms after 1750. He traces the surprisingly short history of the word responsibility, which turns out to be no older than the United States. And he asks whether the epistemological radicalism of recent years carries the power to justify human rights - rights of academic freedom, for example, or the right not to be tortured.

Author : Kent Greenawalt
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 301 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 1995-06-29
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780195356922

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Law and Objectivity by Kent Greenawalt Pdf

In modern times the idea of the objectivity of law has been undermined by skepticism about legal institutions, disbelief in ideals of unbiased evaluation, and a conviction that language is indeterminate. Greenawalt here considers the validity of such skepticism, examining such questions as: whether the law as it exists provides determinate answers to legal problems; whether the law should treat people in an "objective way," according to abstract rules, general categories, and external consequences; and how far the law is anchored in something external to itself, such as social morality, political justice, or economic efficiency. In the process he illuminates the development of jurisprudence in the English-speaking world over the last fifty years, assessing the contributions of many important movements.

Author : James Rachels
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 0198751923

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Ethical Theory: Theories about how we should live. 2004 by James Rachels Pdf