The (usually controversial) position that scientific
knowledge is ultimately grounded in subjective experience—the scientist's perceptions, judgments, and interpretations. Even the most objective measurement must be read by a subject, interpreted by a mind, and reported in language shaped by a culture. Subjectivism doesn't deny that we learn about a
real world—it insists that this learning is always mediated through subjects, and that pretending otherwise creates
blind spots. The question isn't whether subjectivity contaminates science (it does), but whether we acknowledge and account for it or pretend we've transcended it.
"He claims his
data is purely objective, but Scientific Subjectivism notes: he chose which measurements to take, which outliers to drop, which statistical
test to use. Every step involved subjective judgment. Objectivity isn't avoiding subjectivity—it's being
honest about where it enters."