That which has a physical existence independent of observers, such as a wooden table, is part of objective reality.
The notion of reality refers to that which has a true or authentic existence , as opposed to what happens on the level of imagination or fantasy. Objective , for its part, is what refers to an object in itself, leaving aside the person's own thoughts, feelings and emotions.
The concept of objective reality is linked to objects and subjects that have physical (material) existence , beyond what a subject knows or knows about them. Objective reality, therefore, exists even when we are not aware of it.
Example of objective reality
A wooden table found inside a house has a real existence, it belongs to objective reality. It doesn't matter whether one, five, a hundred or a million people have no idea of your presence there: the table exists objectively.
It is possible to say that objective reality can be located in space and time , being quantifiable and susceptible to measurement . This reality is independent of the individual : it is always the same, regardless of who perceives it.
If we return to the example of the wooden table, it could be said that, at a specific time (Tuesday, December 10, 2014 at 11 a.m., for example), it is in a certain place (in a house on Calle 58 to 520 of the city of San Marcos). This objective existence goes beyond the observer, who can be any person (Juan, Marta, Ricardo, John, Alexis, Jennifer...).
The case of subjective reality is different, which depends on individual perception. Someone can indicate regarding a soccer game: "The United States team played very poorly." This comment implies a subjective qualification and does not refer to an objective reality.
Objective reality is rigid and does not include assumptions: water, for example, boils at 100ºC.
The view of science
Science focuses especially on the search for objective reality, on knowing reality objectively through the observation of natural phenomena, relating them according to the duo of cause and effect . When an event can be repeated indefinitely without altering the result, we can say that its description is objective, although this entails the need for a series of tests to find its limits.
To be able to say with certainty that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, for example, it is necessary to know what happens when it is at other temperatures, what its states are and the conditions for it to go from one to another. This type of observation of nature takes time, it entails the need for knowledge that arises from experimentation, tools that cannot always be manufactured with the available technology and a lot of patience and dedication; In short, objective reality is strict and rigid , it does not accept assumptions.
Journalism and objective reality
Journalism is another of the areas in which the need to find the objective reality behind the facts prevails. Despite the unethical examples, which are increasingly common in the digital age, the fundamental goal of journalists is to communicate the facts in the most neutral and objective way possible , without nuances that arise from their ideals, without influencing the thoughts of those who consume their articles.
One of the most common manipulation tactics consists of altering the perception of reality to ensure that subjectivity mixes with objectivity ; For example, a person looking for allies to confront a certain social group can distort a series of facts to tarnish their image and make them look reprehensible. Human beings are very susceptible to this type of behavior, and many times we end up hating beings who have done nothing wrong, without even knowing why.