The Best Way to Know the Truth About Reality

As the Yin-Yang theory in Daoism, many things in the world can be explained by two inter-connected while seemingly opposite definitions, such as black and white, day and night, man and woman, heaven and earth, birth and death. So is the way to know the truth about reality: objectivity and subjectivity. However, it 's hard to conclude that the best way to know the truth about reality is objectivity or subjectivity. Because since the purpose and process of the action is decided by human beings, absolute objectivity is impossible to achieve; meanwhile, a complete relying on subjectivity will be far away from the objective world. Therefore, the best way to know the truth about reality is a combination of objectivity and subjectivity.

Let’s take the example of investigating the fact of gender equality all over the world. If we use a method with as much objectivity as possible and try to avoid any subjective data or information, what the result will be? For example, when surveying for the jobs taken by men and women, it is easy to find out in a particular career or professional areas, the number of men are much larger than the number of women, and vice verse. Does it imply that there are discriminations against men or women in some industries? The answer is yes and no. Because, in some companies, yes, there is bias, not only on the gender issue but also in many other aspects. However, it cannot be disregarded is the innate difference between men and women. For individuals, the difference may vary. But for general groups, there are indeed general differences. Scientific studies have already found out the differences of development in boy and girl adolescents. Generally speaking, there are physical, psychological, and even mental differences between men and women, and that is why there are masculine and feminine characteristics. Here we do not deny the fact that on an individual level, some men may have feminine behaviors and women can have manly deeds. It needs to be paid attention that the intentions behind the actions. A woman who never drives the car may not mean that she is not allowed to drive a car; it may just because she doesn’t like driving. Behind the seemingly objective facts and figures, it is also important to know about people’s thoughts and comments.

Absolute objectivity is impossible to achieve while a complete subjectivity is not reliable. Without the support of the objective facts and figures, the truth may turn out to be lies or rubbish. The fact is the only one, but the phenomena covering the truth can be multifarious. In some countries, marrying a woman costs a fortune and finding an appropriate woman to marry is not easy. Under the same circumstances, some people would say that parents nowadays wish to have baby girls because women are enjoying better social status than men and life for women are easier and happier than life for men. However, other people say that the reason for men to pay such high cost to get a wife is the female population is smaller than male population, and therefore more and more gays appear due to social development. There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes. Purely subjectivity is too inconsistent to be scientific.

In conclusion, the best way to know the truth of reality is the combination of objectivity and subjectivity. The recognition of objective data is a subjective process. The content of the subjective idea is a reflection of part of the actual world. Objectivity is like the sea of information while subjectivity is like the measuring container. We cannot measure the volume of the sea, but we can define the standard we want to measure.