Be neutral

Key idea:
True objectivity requires letting go of our human standards and observing behavior as part of a larger, amoral system.

TREBLA:
Our starting point is reality as it exists: the phenomena of the world, in line with the phenomenology of, among others, Edmund Husserl (1859–1938). As already emphasized, we must set aside our preconceptions and observe the interplay of everything on Earth as neutrally as possible.

This is difficult, because we ourselves are part of the system we are studying. Our thoughts are shaped by culture, upbringing, and experience.

We must therefore try to detach ourselves from our own image of humanity and view the world as if we were not part of it; like an observer watching a colony of ants.

This is similar to how the Stoic philosopher Epictetus (c. 50–135 AD) approached his environment: calmly and soberly accepting what presents itself. We can observe living systems in which members help each other survive, but also systems in which members kill each other in order to survive. We must refrain from judging or condemning such systems from our human perspective.

Our aim is to observe, not to judge, nor to intervene. All of this in order to understand how the system has developed into what it is today.

ALEX:
That sounds simple, but is probably difficult in practice.

TREBLA:
Indeed. Many thinkers have a preconceived view of human nature. Some share the view of Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), that humans are inherently self-centered and are only sympathetic toward others because they realize they cannot survive without them (social contract). Others hold the view that people are naturally sympathetic toward one another and inherently benevolent, similar to the perspective of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778). They attempt to strongly defend either the first or the second position.

But if we truly want to be objective, we must consider humans as one of many species within a larger system.

ALEX:
So not judging, but observing?

TREBLA:
Exactly. Understanding instead of judging.

The system of Earth, nature and living beings, is constantly changing, yet as a whole it continues to exist. Therefore, if a system succeeds in continuing, there must be regulatory mechanisms that influence it in such a way that balance is maintained or restored. This can occur through human intervention or through natural processes. However, the outcome of these natural processes may indeed lead to a new balance, but does not necessarily mean that humans remain part of it.

ALEX:
That balance seems fragile.

TREBLA:
It is. But if we adopt this neutral perspective, we can no longer take humans as the starting point.

We must first understand how humans have come to be what they are today.