“To understand something you need to rely on your own experience and culture.” Does this mean that it is impossible to have objective knowledge?

Our lives are entwined with myths, traditions, and above all by values. When, we lose the capacity to interpret myths and traditions to imaginative criticism, it sometimes leads to the crumbling of a society. This statement suggests that to have objective knowledge, both culture and experience play a major role.
In order to answer the question “to understand something you need to rely on your own experience and culture.” Does this mean that it is impossible to have objective knowledge?” one has to understand what ‘objective knowledge’ means, in my opinion objective knowledge is independent of individual thought and perceptible by all observers, this is knowledge which is not invented but it is discovered.
There are two types of knowledge: objective and subjective
Knowledge gained through external resources, which we acquire through reading ideas such as, proven historical facts, and data related to the study of science can be classified as objective knowledge. Knowledge acquired through our personal experience, interaction with others and the cultural ethos that governs us can be classified as subjective knowledge. When one achieves knowledge through subjective means, in some cases it can usually be long lasting and unquestioned.
In my Hindu culture nearly every action or event particularly those that are social are governed by the cultural ethos.

For example, when a child dies unexpectedly, the society relates the death to some evil cause. In a western reality it may be due to a medical reason, but for thousands of years explanantions including evil influence hase provided some explanations to people who have no access to medicine.
In a similar manner, when my sister was named ‘Shruthi’, numerogically in the Hindu culture this name suggested a lack of prosperity in life, so when my parents consulted an astrologer he proposed a different spelling ‘shruti’, in which he claimed many prosperities in my sister’s life. My parents accepted it even though they had an advantage of the objective knowledge which told them that ‘Shruthi’ with an ‘H’, would sound phonetically correct.
In both these examples one sees that cultural beliefs play a strong role in many peoples lives, but there are no substantial evidence to say that the cultural practices are wrong, but ethically it is also not wrong to say many people have several different ways of practicing many beliefs, and cultural morals. Here we can see the predominance of subjective knowledge over objective knowledge.

One may say is it possible to perceive the world without the imposition of one’s cultural biases based on personal experience? Usually we place great trust in our personal experiences, as it is from actual occurrence, whereas when one is taught by or follows his cultural way of thinking, he may feel that the experience is not first hand, and there is usually a blind belief. Some may question why do we follow this? What makes us do what we are doing? Through experience there are answers to some of the questions if not all.

From birth, man learns many things through a ‘trial and error’ method. For example, a child tries to take its first steps, it falls down. Yet, it strives to master walking and learns from its experience. The child practices the physical motions of walking until they are perfected-this is objective knowledge.
Bruce Barton states that “Most successful men have not achieved their distinction by having some new talent or opportunity presented to them. They have developed the opportunity that was at hand.” Even though this quote does not show how the opportunity is developed, it still emphasizes that experience is key to everyt action. They feel that a lesson learnt from a single experience is worthier that the same fact gained through hours of study (acquired objective knowledge). Using the same analogy that has been used before in this essay it should be pointed that realising the mistakes alone are not enough, one should tear to correct the mistakes that is where objective knowledge comes.
“I know that for sure, because of experience we know that we exist- Descartes Theory” there is one school of thought which states that knowledge gained through experience and culture alone is the best as it will be effective.
Lou Holtz says “I think everyone should experience defeat at least once during their career. You learn a lot from it.”
A child tries to walk and falls down again the child is on the move. The child has realised its mistake when the child falls down over and over again. With the help of the walker (objective knowledge) the child is on its feet again. Thus, it is seen that if learning from falling down is half the knowledge gained through experience (subjective knowledge) then learning to walk with the help of the walker (knowledge gained through objective means).

In many African countries and also in the Irish and Jewish community it is part of their culturally accepted to have young boys circumcised ,and generally people accept these kinds of cultural traditions without much ado. In modern times people have started to question practices such as these, and seek scientific medical opinions instead some say it is good for personal hygiene and others that it is completely necessary and traumatic for the child. There is no right or wrong answer to this decision, it is a personal choice, and a family may decide to rely on cultural or medical opinions in different circumstances.
It is known that both Muslims and Hindus are taught that it is against their religion to eat ‘Red Meat (Cows meat) – it is so staunchly followed, that only a few may even wonder the real reason of why it is said not to consume this meat. However, if one looks this issue from an objective point of view, it is proven that the more red meat you eat increases various risks such as cancer, loss of blood etc. On the other hand, most Hindhus will not see this objectively, but as a religious obligation. .
If you’re travelling on a bus and the person sitting next to you starts having a fit, what do you do? It maybe your first encounter with this issue, so you have no help from your previous experience, your culture might say something else, for example in India if you come from the Hindu culture and especially if you are from the ‘Brahmin’( the superior caste in the Hindu culture) , you are taught not to help any person if they belong to a lower caste, but if you had read a first aid book you could be in a position to aid that person, and make use of your objectivity knowledge, rather than being subjective to what your culture says.

However, there are times in one’s life which show that a lesson learnt through experience is well learnt, for instance you may tell a child Don’t touch the fire. As we know curiosity kills the cat and occasionally, the child does exactly the opposite. When the child touches the fire and in the process gets burnt, then the child realizes and feels the physical implication of fire. Objective knowledge did not help the child as their curiosity overcame this.
It is apt here to recall, the story of six blind men and the elephant (Aesop’s Fable) a book well read in my childhood. The six blind did not know how an elephant looked. The only other means that were available to them understand what an elephant looked like was their personal sensory experience of touching the elephant. Each man touched a different part of the elephant and thought the elephant was so. The man who felt the body for example thought the elephant to be like a wall. He who touched the tail thought the elephant was thin and bushy and so on…in reality is impossible! However, the story illustrates how experimental knowledge os skewed by a sensory deception. The same way I think that knowledge gained through experience and culture is not enough alone. Only when we can use objective knowledge as well do we get a full understanding in a variety of different circumstances.
In conclusion, to think that knowledge acquired through personal experience and culture alone is enough to have a narrow minded view of knowledge. For a person to have holistic knowledge he accepts objective knowledge too in many learning experiences. In life we need both of these types of knowledge in varying degrees.