Check Out the Official Launch Website to know more about the Novella: "An Existentialist Read".
One of the major concerns that revolve around the Novella is the valuation of objectivity and subjectivity.
"There is no inherent reason for our existence. Hence, no absolutes to abide. We determine for ourselves the definitions of right and wrong by realizing subjectivity as a virtue. There is no preordained order in this totality of chaos. Absurdity is born out of the conflict between our perception of reality and reality itself."
A famous Sophist, Protagoras believed “Man is the measure of all things.” It is Man who decides what is true and false. There exists no absolute truth, there is no absolute reason. Socrates stands in strong opposition to Protagoras and other Sophists as he believed that one can only manipulate the truth through words but he cannot transform truth to false. What is true is a truth universally and cannot be denied.
The Novella finds itself neither in conflict with Socrates nor with Protagoras. It believes that "subjectivity is a virtue that is yet to be realized." How can we realize a universal truth from our subjective nature of being? Socrates claimed the universality of truth by incorporating an objective aspect within himself, he knows only that he knows nothing. This enabled him to experience what he claimed as "universal truth". Protagoras realized subjectivity as a virtue embedded within our nature of being. But he never actualized it to form objectivity. The Novella adheres to the non-existence of absolute reason and encourages individuals to form their own reasons and shape their individuality. The only contradictory aspect incorporated by the Novella from the Protagoras is his subjective definition of truth. I find a fallacy in the analogy of Protagoras. One who understands and claims, "man is the measure of all things", how can he then nullify this claim by stating "there exists no absolute truth". If he deems latter as truth then how can he claim the universality of the former? Moreover, how can he state "there exists no absolute truth" as absolute truth?
Perception, when disguised under biased choices, leads to subjectivity and provide a scope of deviance and immorality. Criminals are born out of the unrealized subjectivity of society which is adamant to create a vision of objectivity through set principles and norms. It is this very act of denial by the society that creates a criminal of a human amongst them. In my article titled, "A Study of Criminal Behaviour (Causality & Prevention of Crime)", I have dealt with the advent of criminality as deviance in detail. Every individual is born as a deviant of society until society reforms it and overrides it with its so formed objectivity. It is necessary in times we live in to have some sort of made-up objective criteria as not every individual realizes its subjectivity before embracing it. They are then engulfed by the facade of their own set of subjectivity and develop an apathetic nature as they drift away from the empathy-based morality. Empathy and morality are indispensably attached to each other. It is our empathic nature that aligns us with morality. Morality should not be treated objectively in isolation with religion. It inadvertently occupies a subjective nature incorporating values of religion.
Non-perspectivity propagates objectivity as a universal principle of morality. An objective application of perception requires one to acknowledge the existence of subjectivity and influence of others as values, beliefs and principles that govern the subjectivity. Instead of creating a society that forces individuals to shed their individuality and incorporate its falsified objectivity, one should influence others to embrace their individuality and acknowledge their subjectivity in order to recognize their limitations. Such individuals shall act not in ignorance of their ignorance but in consonance of their ignorance to form a morality that is unbiased and unopinionated.
"Being “subjectively objective” is to encompass every subjective perspective by appreciation, making oneself unique within the opinionated crowd. Both elements of subjectivity and objectivity must be incorporated in consonance with each other as no objectivity can be comprehended by our subjective ways of being. Objectivity lies in the realization of the existence of subjective realities. The only reality is the existence of multiple realities having their inception as human consciousness, which is the sole commonality. Subjectivity came into being with the advent of the mankind. Our varied perspectives to perceive consciousness gave it a subjective nature. It is only by the process of disintegration that one actualizes the objective aspect of consciousness residing at its core."
A perfect portrayal of the existence of multiple realities and our minimalistic subjective perception. It is only upon the convergence of the realities that we understand how little we know and even out of that how little we comprehend. We must acknowledge that our perception is governed by the circumambient we live in. The latter influences our definitions of right and wrong, compile moral code to abide and exhibit an illusion of truth.
But we mustn't equate right & wrong with truth & false. There can be multiple rights & wrongs to reach the truth. One should be able to appreciate one's meagerness and should embrace it to find a purpose of exploring aspects of the universe which were non-existent before.
"We are nothing, and in its realization we are everything."
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