Teapots&unicorns writes:
However, in their own minds, it is an objective decision.
Bottom line, there is a difference in perceptional subjectivity and objectivity and real subjectivity and objectivity.
There is no such thing as "perceptional objectivity."
You are correct that when someone says they like chocolate ice-cream, then it is an objective fact (if they're not lying) that the person likes chocolate ice-cream at that time. However, this is not "perceptual objectivity".
The word 'objective' means "independent of the observer."
"Prefering chocolate over vanilla" is subjective because not all people prefer chocolate over vanilla.
"I like chocolate ice-cream," if I'm not lying, is objective because you observe my claim as much as onifre or anyone else does.
"Prefering God over Allah" is subjective. It's a preference.
"God exists" is a claim to reality. However, not all observers agree. Therefore it cannot be an objective claim, in any sense of the word "objective."
(There is always the chance that you are right and that dog crap is actually very appetizing...)
I know you were joking... but I'm going to use this statement to clarify objectivity/subjectivity a bit more:
"Appetizing" is a subjective concept, it is different for everyone.
It is impossible for "the dog crap" to be universally objectively appetizing (or objectively unappetizing, for that matter).
It is possible for "the dog crap" to be objectively appetizing
for onifre (sorry dude... all in the name of clarity!
)
It is possible for "the dog crap" to be objectively unappetizing
for Stile.
As for your friends who belive in God:
However, even though I know that both their processes and conclusions may be wrong, that does not change the fact that, at least in their eyes, they have reached the "truth" through faith/objectivity (since their are incompatible)
The fact that you used the phrase "in their eyes" means that it is impossible for whatever-you're-talking-about to be objective. Such a phrase means that the conclusion depends on their (the observer's) thoughts and therefore is not objective by definition.
They certainly can come to conclusions that they believe are true from some objective observations. But if their conclusions are not independent of the observer, then their conclusions are not objective.
Objective observations do not necessarily lead to objective conclusions. The entire point of the scientific method is to ensure (as much as humanly possible) that we get objective conclusions from objective observations.
Example:
Objective observation: Rainbows are a bunch of colours seen in the sky.
Subjective conclusion: Rainbows are from God.
Subjective conclusion: Rainbows are from Odin.
Subjective conclusion: Rainbows are from my dad.
Objective conclusion: Rainbows are from sunlight refracting through raindrops.
I can even
say that "Rainbows are from God" is objective. But that doesn't make it objective, that just makes me wrong. The same with your friends, they can say "God exists" is reached through objectivity, but they are wrong.
"God exists" is a
subjective conclusion that may or may not be partially based on
objective observations.
Anything "reached through objectivity"
must be independent of all observers. Otherwise the claim is simply incorrect by definition of the word 'objective.'