objective means

There is no
objectivity: they say.
No viewpoint
with the subjective viewer
(and its bias) subtracted
out. It can't be attained, or
so they claim. Thinkers
used to strive
scrupulously for lifetimes, to scrape
and excise, identify
and omit all traces of their own

"subjective"

from their observations
and conclusions, seeking
objectivity. They found it

hard, and declared it
impossible
by definition.

This is called "doing it wrong."

You don't eliminate subjective taint
through a harsh, disciplined process
of purging and cleansing one's personal
view of every subjective impurity. Even if
you could do it that way - who's to say
what you've really achieved? No, we get
to objectivity - objectivity actually, objectivity
quite literally - a view with all purely subjective
individual bias subtracted! - and easily,
even. It just takes two

No, really: better three, better yet,

us all.
Depending on how
important it is, a given
observation, we have the
means. Everyone available
with eyes to see,
and a mouth to report,
- or functional equivalents
thereof, keyboards, fingers,
other sensory equipment
taking different measurements
of the same thing between - and a brain
to compare (observations and reports,
others and/or one's own) or rather: many
of them.
We have plenty,
in fact. We have more
than enough

to use
to subtract.

Because reality isn't perception. It isn't
in the head. It is

what lies between us, that provides content
for perceptions
of each, which all wind up
transformed and absorbed
in variably altered form - the key term
is "variably" - in each individual everyone's
head. What we call perception

is not reality, but a
by-then multi-generational copy
of it.

Of reality. Of the same
thingy thing
that just happens to exist, right where
each of us has it, right between: there to measure,
detect, assess, take in, like so:

through eyes, for example,
up optic nerve, dump
to visual cortex, filter out
from there
to wherever such content is used
and goes, and then becoming (instantly):
memory
memory
memory,
writing,
reaccessing,
recreating,
new thought, cognition,
interpreting,
selecting,
reinterpreting,
comparing,
classifying,
reperceiving

- not in that order,
necessarily,

Perception.

Isn't reality: it's

the director's cut. One greater-than
IMAX-sized single-person audience
wide release version, for each of us.
A highly-processed and packaged product.

And meanwhile, reality

continues to lie
between us,
as it always does, scattered all
over the infinite and observable
cutting-room floor, which

we all often enough go back to
at will, to resample, remix, and explore.
From original ingredients,
fresh, local, organic
or modified, each as they are,
available to all to make anew the dish
from scratch, by as many recipes
as we've all improvised, or
learned, or deviously hatched.

There's something that's there, between us which
subjective treatment and subjective distortion
cannot distort, for a very good and simple reason:

With an ever-larger sampling, whatever veers off
from what's actually there
will average itself out
of the picture.

Each observation is a test
of perception - each person's. The standard
is one that everyone holds and can refer to. And
the more observers, the more observations: some true,
some less true, some grossly flawed, but

since only the truer observations converge
on what actually was, really there, to be seen
that we saw, and that
we all can still see, if pointed out - we will
increasingly find

that the more "subjectives" we add, each with
its own unique little quirks and flaws (or big) - but also
each with its own more-or-less accuracies

(which even the worst of us do really have)

- of all those more-or-less accuracies, the
-less veer off, and the
more- veer on, converging strong,
along lines and points that match up
to the plane or the sphere we're on. That are
somethings we all can see, if shown, and often
just spot by ourselves, on our own. But even if
we miss on the first past by, they exist
to be seen if you lead my eye, or if I
lead yours - except and unless
your eye or mine

are defective. And even that
is no reason to despair, or
guess.

Defects

all cancel, by averaging out.

Defects

of individual perception - from
whatever source! Defective equipment,
an eye, or brain, defective conception,
insanity, auteur theory

- each of those "off" results net loss, because
whatever defect may be their cause,

they all wander off. They tend in so many ways,
away

from reality,
and so are
lost.

Just so, the accurate signal nets gain, gains strength
and strength, combined and accumulated sans defect,
coming in from every which input combined
that doesn't distort or divert
from true point
or true line. By each degree it does
divert, the noise is lost, the signal
heard. The accurate signal - of which everyone
gets at least
a few - accrues, and that's all
it can do, because it agrees
with the only thing everyone
together has between them,
to see.

Perceptions that run true to what's really there
reinforce themselves
with each other, they come in
ever more clear, come ever more
verifiably correct, reality
comes in gangs
and throngs, and so
bearing each other out

of subjectivity,
these points place
and welcome and fit
everywhere where they
really belong.

So the purely individual
purely subjective view ("purely"
because unsupported for real)
is subtracted out, and we're left
with nothing but what they say
we can't get:

Objectivity.

Objectivity is a mass project
of Venn overlap and scrutiny within,
of repeated test, and it's easy,
you know. What's hard is to close
one's eyes and mind, and pretend
that truth
is something impossible
we can't do. That we can't
see or know, except
as a weird and distorted guess
at best.

Heck no! It's easy,
and we do it all
the time. Objectivity
is real, everywhere sufficient subjectivity combines
to give the attempt so much as a token try, and

we see
what's real,
what lies between us,
which is nothing that's only in any
one's mind.

As everywhere one's subjective view
fails to converge on what's really
there to find, on what's there
observable,
- and so observed
between us all,

all points converge on truth, except
each peculiar and defective view, and every one
of them runs away, and off
on its own, so presenting no obstacle
to you. And me, and we who know
quite well, that reality isn't only between
one's ears. It's between one's friends
and foes, and everyone who is here. The only people
who think it's just between ears
don't tend to have much else they
can fit in there,
it's clear.

But it's no concern. Don't sweat the fact
that yes, we all have
this or that defect, within
our subjective minds, or eyes,
or views, the peculiar perspectives
or frameworks of ours. We don't ever need
be afraid of such skews. Truth
has powerful effect, where light is sufficient,
where people have sense - which is acted-upon
by it. Observations add in, and magnify,
those that correspond with what's actually
real increase in grasp and in confidence
- while running away to all sides
go the false and the wrong.

Even our own.

Mass subjectivity
converges powerfully
on the real, by averaging out
every point of variance. Every point
where perception
converges on truth - these accumulate
and combine, reinforcing
one view
of what's seen: the accurate one,
the one by which senses are actually
acted-upon. While each point
where perception goes off, swerves out
and away from truth, to peculiar
degrees - whatever their cause! Subjective effects
of defective perception diminish
and eliminate themselves ever more, the further away
they sink or soar. Individual slant, individual
tint, individuals willfully blind
can rant - but input from everywhere will reinforce
what is actually there, when we really look.

With enough of us looking, subjective is lost.
Because it is merely unique.

It is only unique
and defective perception
that tends
away,

in any
and all of the ways
it can possibly steer - each veers
and swerves on its own little path,
or in flocks of like-minded, inculcated sway, but they all
wander off, effectually, the same: away.

They all make departure
from what really lies
between us all,
that we all can see.
They vary too variously to add up
to obscure the view of what's really

what. Of what really lies here,
between us all: all which we can see
however we wish!

- but with enough input, enough
tests run through, enough subjects
come back comparing results from that to this,
and looking again at the substance, whenever
a doubt comes up, we're left

unable to agree in anything

- except in what is.

Which is easy
and good,
convenient in fact,

once you can accept.

Objectivity does exist,
all around: it's a commonplace
thing, but with so much depth. It is that
in and through which we all connect,
much more than perception: it is

reality

Check.