The Objectivity Assumption: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Naive Realism2.png|alt=Naive Realism|thumb|'''Figure 1'''. Rene Descartes quote on Naive Realism]]

'''The assumption of objectivity otherwise known as "[[Bias Blind Spot|bias blind spot]]" or "naïve realism" in humans is a prevalent [[Cognitive biases|cognitive bias]] that stems from our tendency to believe that our perceptions and beliefs are accurate, objective reflections of reality.''' We ~~tend~~ to think that we see the world as it is, not realizing that our perceptions are ~~influenced~~ by our personal experiences, beliefs, cultural backgrounds, and cognitive processes.

'''The assumption of objectivity otherwise known as "[[Bias Blind Spot|bias blind spot]]" or "naïve realism" in humans is a prevalent [[Cognitive biases|cognitive bias]] that stems from our tendency to believe that our perceptions and beliefs are accurate, objective reflections of reality.'''

The easiest example of this is colour perception. "We can argue that colors are not real—they are “synthesized” by our brain to distinguish light with different wavelengths. While rods give us the ability to detect the presence and intensity of light (and thus allow our brain to construct the picture of the world around us), specific detection of different wavelengths through independent channels gives our view of the world additional high resolution. For instance, red and green colors look like near identical shades of grey in black and white photos. Why certain wavelengths are paired with certain colors remains a mystery. Technically, color is an illusion created by our brain. Therefore, it is not clear if other animals see colors the same way we see them. It is likely that, due to shared evolutionary history, other vertebrates see the world colored similarly to how we see it. But color vision is quite common across the vast animal kingdom: insects, arachnids, and cephalopods are able to distinguish colors."

The Objectivity Assumption is this tendency to think that we see the world as it is, not realizing that our perceptions are constructs (photons into electrons into neural patterns) which are themselves then contructed by our personal experiences, beliefs, cultural backgrounds, and cognitive processes.

There are several reasons why this assumption is so prevalent. First, it's a natural outcome of how our brains process information. Our brains take in information from our senses and construct a model of the world that feels objective and real to us. This model helps us navigate the world and make decisions, so it's beneficial for our survival and success.

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 [[File:Naive Realism2.png|alt=Naive Realism|thumb|'''Figure 1'''. Rene Descartes quote on Naive Realism]]
-'''The assumption of objectivity otherwise known as  "[[Bias Blind Spot|bias blind spot]]" or "naïve realism" in humans is a prevalent [[Cognitive biases|cognitive bias]] that stems from our tendency to believe that our perceptions and beliefs are accurate, objective reflections of reality.''' We tend to think that we see the world as it is, not realizing that our perceptions are influenced by our personal experiences, beliefs, cultural backgrounds, and cognitive processes.
+'''The assumption of objectivity otherwise known as  "[[Bias Blind Spot|bias blind spot]]" or "naïve realism" in humans is a prevalent [[Cognitive biases|cognitive bias]] that stems from our tendency to believe that our perceptions and beliefs are accurate, objective reflections of reality.'''
+The easiest example of this is colour perception. "We can argue that colors are not real—they are “synthesized” by our brain to distinguish light with different wavelengths. While rods give us the ability to detect the presence and intensity of light (and thus allow our brain to construct the picture of the world around us), specific detection of different wavelengths through independent channels gives our view of the world additional high resolution. For instance, red and green colors look like near identical shades of grey in black and white photos. Why certain wavelengths are paired with certain colors remains a mystery. Technically, color is an illusion created by our brain. Therefore, it is not clear if other animals see colors the same way we see them. It is likely that, due to shared evolutionary history, other vertebrates see the world colored similarly to how we see it. But color vision is quite common across the vast animal kingdom: insects, arachnids, and cephalopods are able to distinguish colors."
+The Objectivity Assumption is this tendency to think that we see the world as it is, not realizing that our perceptions are constructs (photons into electrons into neural patterns) which are themselves then contructed by our personal experiences, beliefs, cultural backgrounds, and cognitive processes.
 There are several reasons why this assumption is so prevalent. First, it's a natural outcome of how our brains process information. Our brains take in information from our senses and construct a model of the world that feels objective and real to us. This model helps us navigate the world and make decisions, so it's beneficial for our survival and success.

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