The Influence of Positionality

Can we ever truly be unbiased? This week’s reading asked us to explore this notion. I believe that a person cannot separate their own positionality from an area of study. To arrive at complete objectivity in science is impossible. A person’s worldview will always influence their perspective. In the area of scientific research, this inescapability of perspective is what influences the areas we choose to study and the reasons we study them. As well, any analysis of results is subjected to the person’s viewpoint. The person can take measures to ensure they remain as objective as possible, but there will always be an element of subjectivity in any scientific finding. In today’s society, I think we believe that science has the ultimate objective stance and we do not consider the positionality of the scientists.

In the group discussion about the articles, we talked about the motivation to conduct science. I argued that in today’s society, we have lost the curiosity factor in science. It seems as if today, in western societies, people are only interested in science if there is a financial benefit. I’m not sure if we study the natural world simply to understand it better. For example, most geological studies conducted in Canada today are in the area of resource development. When scientists need funding in order to undertake a study, often they have to prove that there will be a benefit to the group putting up the money.

I would also like to talk about the role of standpoint. As I am more of a social science person, I have a cool example of standpoint theory being used in a sociology study. A sociologist was interested in gang culture. Rather than try to observe and write about Canadian biker gangs as an outsider, this researcher was granted access to the gang as member. This gave him an outsider-insider perspective and made for a more compelling look at gangs in Canada. Although he was unable to completely shake his outsider perspectives, his role as one of the gang members was as close to “going native” as a researcher can do. This gave the closest unbiased account as possible. Since we can never truly be unbiased in our position, the insider-outsider perspective of standpoint theory is as close as we can get to arriving at an objective understanding.