After all, the ultimate goal of all research is not objectivity

Hear the words of Helene Deutsch, a pioneer of psychoanalysis, who declared with clarity: “After all, the ultimate goal of all research is not objectivity, but truth.” In this saying lies a beacon for all who seek knowledge. For too often men confuse the means with the end, worshipping objectivity as though it were the summit itself. But Deutsch reminds us that objectivity is but a tool, a lantern held in the hand. The summit, the horizon, the final goal, is always truth—that radiant light which gives meaning to every inquiry and to every discovery.

The origin of this thought rests in Deutsch’s own field, where the mysteries of the human mind resisted the cold measurements of detached science. Psychoanalysis sought to uncover hidden wounds, secret fears, unspoken desires. Numbers and charts alone could not capture these depths. Thus she proclaimed: objectivity is noble, but it is not enough. One must press beyond neutrality and into understanding, seeking truth in its living, breathing wholeness.

Consider the story of Galileo. His instruments gave him objectivity: the telescope, the careful observation, the recorded movement of planets. But had he stopped there, he would have been only a keeper of data. Instead, he dared to interpret, to proclaim the truth that the Earth was not the center of creation. His courage carried him beyond the safety of detached measures into the dangerous realm of revealed reality. It was not objectivity that shook the world, but the truth he drew from it.

Think also of Marie Curie, who endured hardship and illness in her relentless quest to uncover the secrets of radiation. Her experiments were meticulous, her procedures disciplined, her stance objective. Yet her true greatness lay not in neutrality, but in the revelation of truth—the discovery of forces invisible to the eye, which reshaped science and medicine forever. Her life testifies that objectivity serves only as a servant; the mistress and queen of science is truth itself.

The lesson is profound: while objectivity guards us against prejudice and distortion, it is not the end of the path. To worship it as an idol is to mistake the compass for the destination. The wise seeker of knowledge knows that objectivity is but a safeguard on the journey, while truth is the treasure sought. And sometimes, to reach that treasure, one must interpret, one must risk, one must step beyond the cold fence of neutrality into the bold declaration of what is real.

O children of tomorrow, do not be deceived into thinking that knowledge is merely a collection of facts, neatly arranged. Facts are the stones; truth is the temple they build. To research is not to gather data endlessly, but to shape from them a vision of reality that gives meaning and guides action. Without truth, the mountain of facts is lifeless; with truth, even a single insight can illuminate the ages.

Therefore, let your practice be this: pursue objectivity with rigor, for it protects you from error. But never forget to lift your eyes beyond it, to seek truth with courage. Ask not only, “What can be measured?” but also, “What does it mean?” And when at last you glimpse truth, do not be silent, but proclaim it—even if it unsettles, even if it costs you. For in this lies the true glory of research: not neutrality, but the unveiling of reality itself.

Thus remember the wisdom of Helene Deutsch: “The ultimate goal of all research is not objectivity, but truth.” Walk this path with humility and boldness. Use objectivity as your tool, but never mistake it for the crown. For the crown belongs only to truth, and it is this crown that ennobles all human striving, from the scholar in his study to the seeker under the stars.