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        %REFLEXIVE OPEN HONEST RELATION SEX SCIENCE 920908

     All   open   and  honest  human   relationships   are
reflexive, reflecting back upon the participants.

     Open  and  honest  human  sexual  relationships   are
particularly   reflexive,    reflecting  back   upon   the
involvement,    fears,    hopes,   desires,   assumptions,
expectations, and other aspects of the participants.

     People  who  are  honestly  seeking to  fulfill  some
ideals and  values  as regards their lives, and being  who
they are; are at some level constantly watching themselves
(and  each  other)  to see how well they  (and others) are
fulfilling their chosen ideals and values.  They cannot do
a good job of fulfilling their ideals  and  values without
watching themselves  (and  others)  and  making  judgments
regarding their own (and others') behaviors;   and  making
corrective   moves  to  avoid  repetitive  mistakes.   The
fulfillment  of ideals and values is a reflexive  process,
even if the ideals and values focus upon being objective.

     Scientists  and technically oriented people who  have
ideals  and  values which revolve around  being  objective
find themselves in a double bind: the ideal of objectivity
requires  detachment  from that  which  is  the  focus  of
attention---but   the   fulfillment  of   the   ideal   of
objectivity  requires  watching/correcting  the process of
trying  to  fulfill  the  ideal of objectivity---and  that
process is centered in  the person(s) who must be detached
from  the  process, to be objective;  and who must  be the
focus  of  attention,  in order to watch  the  process  of
trying   to   fulfill  the  the  ideals  and   values   of
objectivity.

     The IDEALS  AND VALUES of objectivity,  reside within
the  person(s)  trying to be objective;  and  in  intimate
others  who share/support the  ideals and values in  joint
efforts to be objective.

     The  PROCESS  OF  trying  to  fulfill  the  ideal  of
objectivity,  is centered in the persons who are trying to
be objective,  and  within the intimate relationships with
others who support the ideals in joint efforts.

     The MOTIVATION FOR and the GUIDANCE OF the process of
trying  to be objective is centered in the person(s)   who
are   trying  to  be  objective,   and  in  the   intimate
interactions among  the  persons who share the  ideals  in
joint  efforts  to  be  objective  together  in   mutually
supportive reflexive relationships.

     Any CORRECTIONS TO DEFECTS in the process  of  trying
to  be  objective---must  be made by the persons  who  are
trying to be objective in intimate interactions with other
persons   who   share  the  ideals   in   joint  reflexive
relationships.

     To  the  extent  that people who  are  trying  to  be
objective become out of touch with each other, they cannot
cooperate  intimately  in  their effort  to  be  objective
through  making  corrections  to  their  errors  in  their
efforts. But the ideals of objectivity call for detachment
from  and the reduction of emotional involvement  in  that
which  is the focus of attention---which  in  the  process
under  consideration  includes  all  the  people  who  are
seeking to fulfill the ideals through cooperative efforts.

     It  is  clear  that there is a need  to  clarify  the
extent  to which it is possible for humans to fulfill  the
ideals  of  scientific objectivity;  do they (the  ideals)
have  integrity and do they (the ideals)  lead people  who
try to fulfill the ideals to have and  enjoy both personal
and communal integrity?

     Open  and  honest  human  sexual  relationships   are
particularly   reflexive,    reflecting  back   upon   the
involvement,    fears,   hopes,   desires,    assumptions,
expectations, and other aspects of the participants.

     Since scientists are both males and females and since
in honest human relationships between males and females it
is   inevitable   that  sexual  relationships  will   play
significant roles,   it  is clear  that there is a need to
clarify  the extent to which it is possible for  male  and
female humans to work  closely  together  to  fulfill  the
ideals   of  scientific  objectivity.   Do the  ideals  of
objectivity  lead male and  female scientists who  try  to
fulfill the ideals  of objectivity, to have and enjoy both
personal and communal integrity  as  sexual  creatures who
honestly respect each other as whole persons, and are open
and honest with each other in their work?

     The  dilemmas which are pointed to here will  not  be
solved   by   technical  efforts   which   demonstrate   a
preoccupation    with    quantification,      measurement,
computation,    predictions,    manipulations,    control,
analysis,   fragmentation,  detachment,  and  objectivity.
These dilemmas are not technical problems, and the bags of
tools  and  tricks  of  technicians will  not help  us  to
resolve the dilemmas.
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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