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                  %COMMUNAL OBJECTIVITY REFLEXIVITY 860507

     Is  God's skin white,  black,  brown or yellow?   She
probably does not have skin, and it is foolish to ask what
color it is, if she does have skin.

     Some concepts  do  not  apply  appropriately  in  all
possible  situations.    Just because words can be  strung
together according to the rules of grammar does  not  mean
that the word string constitutes a meaningful statement or
question.

     Is a community's behavior objective  or reflexive? Is
objectivity   or  reflexivity  an  attribute   which   can
meaningfully be attributed  to communal behavior?   If so,
according to what definition of the  terms?    Objectivity
and   reflexivity  pertain  to  the  manner  of  approach,
consideration, analysis, understanding, etc.  They pertain
to  the  character of relationships entailing both  knower
and known.

     Can  a  community  of people behave objectively?   It
certainly can behave reflexively by being concerned  about
itself and its integrity.   Is it possible for a community
to behave objectively,  without self regard?   Can  people
interact meaningfully without engaging in self-referential
activities?    Can  a  community  of  scientists  who  are
committed to  objective  behavior  avoid  self-referential
activities  in  trying  to live  up  to  their  ideals  of
objectivity?   How can they fulfill their objective ideals
without reference  being  made to themselves in regards to
their ideals?

     Science is a communal activity.  Respected science is
not   practiced  by  any  individual  in  isolation.    No
scientist can be a respected scientist in isolation.    To
be  scientific is to be a member of a scientific community
which is essentially reflexive.   No scientific  community
can  behave in exclusively objective ways.   To be true to
scientific ideals  a scientific community must  engage  in
reflexive  behaviors and thus move outside the constraints
of exclusively objective considerations and behaviors.

                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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