Locality of reason and the relationship between objective and subjective

What is it about?

This paper looks at how the idea of "locality of reason" can help us understand both the subjective and objective sides of human thinking. When we recognize that our reasoning is always shaped by specific contexts, we become more aware of hidden assumptions, more careful about the limits of our knowledge, and more realistic about what experts can and cannot know. The paper shows that some parts of our subjectivity are shared with others and thus have some inter-subjective aspects, whereas some seemingly “objective” traits are more subjective and context dependent then we usually think. By examining how the subjective and objective mix together, we can see local influences not as problems, but as helpful conditions that support and guide the development of reason.

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Photo by Kamil Gliwiński on Unsplash

Photo by Kamil Gliwiński on Unsplash

Why is it important?

In a world in which globalization and future are unevenly distributed it is good to look at your local surrounding in order to understand yourself better. One of the ways to do it is to think about what is in the local sphere that we share with others and thus what are the universal aspects of our localities. In the language of the article what is objective in subjectivity. As well as to understand better that some traits of thinking that seem to be universal might have more limitations than we are used to admit. In the language of the article what is subjective in objectivity.

Perspectives