Part 05 - Objectivity: An Argument for History

“To increase our objectivity, we must learn to switch off the mini-movies. Objectivity requires us to be mindful, present in the moment, and experiencing what is happening without judgment.” -Elizabeth Thornton

Objectivity: An Argument for History

Part of the approach in our philosophy of understanding is to consider the history of what we are observing. History, for most, is an acquired taste and most people begin to appreciate it when their own life experiences become known as the past.

Technology is a quick way to experience the past. Many people reflect on how they had to contact people prior to cell phones, or blow on the game when the Nintendo 64 was freezing, or listen to music on a record player. Give it some time and the technology we currently use will be “out of date.”

An interesting side note is how many people try to classify themselves as 90’s kids. My students who were born in 1999 call themselves 90’s kids... Which is absurd. I consider myself to be one, and I was born in ’93. Those who were born in the mid-late 80’s are most likely offended that I even consider myself to be a 90’s kid… I really only truly remember 97’ and on… but I digress.

It seems people tend to appreciate history as they get older because they notice change in society, music, fashion, technology, etc. They can compare the present to a past that they experienced. That “back in my day” history is fun and can unite people of a similar age.

Some people latch on to a historical event, like the Civil War, and can tell you every date of every battle or every person involved. This is also fun when you find someone who’s mutually interested in the Civil War.

But, realistically, there’s no point in knowing the dates. It doesn’t necessarily matter in the big scheme of things... (Coming from someone who loves history) We have the internet to look it up. And most people’s experience with history is being forced to memorize random dates that have no significance and is forgotten within 5 minutes after being assessed on it.

Honestly, why is it important to know when the Civil War started? And yet this is how history has been taught for a long time. I think that this is the wrong approach. The approach that should be taught is how to do History (notice the capitalization). The process. The process improves objectivity. Here’s why:

In order to truly understand the past, we must remove any knowledge we have of what happened after that event. We have to remove our bias. Our bias includes our emotions about the people in the past and their actions.

We see something they do, and we think to ourselves, “that is wrong.” Well, you may only think that because you are a product of the time and place you are born into, and they are not. You also have hindsight. Your own feelings are not relevant.

You must remove yourself entirely (to the best of your abilities, of course). You must become that person. It is a game of empathy. It is a challenge because they are in a different time, which is like being in a different world. Doing this improves objectivity.

The reason is simple. You are practicing removing yourself and trying to understand something exactly for what it is. Just apply it to the modern times. Remove yourself from what you are a part of. Observe it as it were the past.

A lot of times, we are caught up in the strong tide of the times. We feel certain ways or think certain things because of an outside power we are not aware of. Only hindsight will reveal the outside power. Think about the election of 2016. So many people were caught up in something much bigger than them. If they could step outside of it, I think many people would have behaved differently (on both sides).

Doing History allows for us to separate from ourselves and from the outside powers that influence us. We predict hindsight and even consider where the tide of time is taking us. So when we are observing something like race relations we should consider how it has been considered in the past. This will help us identify how and why we think of race today. That is being objective.

Be aware of why you think of something the way you do and assess if it is true or not. Maybe you think of race, gender, love, science, etc. because of the time you are in. So remove yourself from yourself. So meta...