Objective and Subjective Investigation (Leaving Cert Religious Education): Revision Notes
📚 Revision Notes
Objective and Subjective Investigation
Understanding the two approaches
When studying any topic, researchers can take different approaches to gather knowledge. There are two main ways to investigate subjects: objectively and subjectively.
Objective investigation
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Definition: A way of studying topics that aims to be impartial, detached, and free from personal opinions or bias.
Key characteristics:
- Approaches subject matter in a neutral manner
- Attempts to eliminate personal differences between researchers
- Aims to be value-free and unbiased
- Allows results and data to speak for themselves
- Considered the hallmark of scientific method
Subjective investigation
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Definition: A way of studying topics that comes from existing beliefs, personal values, and predetermined positions.
Key characteristics:
- Addresses subject matter from a position of prior commitment
- Involves value-laden perspectives
- Contains bias and preconceived ideas
- Seeks to reinforce existing beliefs through findings
- Often associated with religious faith and personal conviction
Merits of each approach
Benefits of objective investigation
The objective approach offers several significant advantages in research and investigation:
- Eliminates personal differences: Removes individual bias between different observers
- Removes bias: Allows for impartial examination of evidence
- Enables proof: Permits truth to be established without doubt
- Creates genuine knowledge: Produces reliable and verifiable information
Limitations of subjective investigation
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Critical Issues with Subjective Approaches:
The subjective approach can lead to several problematic outcomes that researchers must be aware of:
- Can have hidden agendas: May prioritise certain outcomes over others
- Contains bias: Personal beliefs can cloud judgement
- May ignore inconvenient truths: Tendency to overlook evidence that doesn't fit preexisting worldviews
- Searches for confirmatory evidence: Looks for information that supports rather than challenges existing beliefs
The reality in practice
Both approaches coexist
In reality, both science and religion contain elements of objective and subjective investigation. It is nearly impossible to completely separate the two approaches because:
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Why Pure Separation is Impossible:
- Human nature: All investigations involve human beings who are inherently subjective by nature
- No pure objectivity: There is no completely neutral "bird's eye view" outside personal experience
- Contextual factors: Whether in laboratories or places of worship, human interpretation plays a role
- Practical limitations: Science attempts to eliminate subjectivity as much as possible, but recognises it cannot be completely removed
Why science emphasises objectivity
Science works hard to minimise subjectivity because:
- Subjectivity can be unhelpful and potentially harmful to discovering truth
- Objective methods produce more reliable and repeatable results
- Reducing bias leads to better understanding of natural phenomena
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Key Points to Remember:
- Objective investigation aims to study topics impartially without personal bias or preconceived ideas
- Subjective investigation approaches topics from existing beliefs and value-based positions
- Objectivity eliminates bias and helps create reliable knowledge, which is why science values this approach
- Subjectivity can create bias and may lead to ignoring inconvenient truths
- Both science and religion contain elements of objective and subjective approaches - complete separation is nearly impossible in practice