Subjectivity of Perspective
A perspective is limited by what a person can observe, attend to, and already knows. Other viewpoints can reveal missing information when their evidence is examined and compared.
THE IDEA
A person cannot see everything relevant to a situation at once. Position, attention, experience, and available information shape what they notice. Recognizing those limits helps identify what else an important decision requires.
Binocular vision offers an analogy: each eye receives a slightly different view, and the brain combines the inputs to perceive depth. Comparing accounts from people in different positions can likewise reveal information one observer missed. More viewpoints do not automatically produce a better answer; their quality and relevance still matter.
When accounts conflict, ask what each person could observe, what they inferred, and what independent evidence could resolve the difference. The goal is to account for the limits of each view, rather than assume that any single account is complete.
When to use it
Business negotiations: recognizing that each party sees the deal from their own interests and limitations, and seeking to understand the other side’s perspective to find win-win solutions.
Medical diagnosis: a doctor should consider multiple diagnostic perspectives and consult colleagues to avoid anchoring on a single view.
Courtroom: judges and juries must consider that witness testimony is subjective and weigh multiple accounts to reconstruct events.
Product design: designers must incorporate user feedback from diverse demographics because their own perspective might miss critical usability issues.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Binocular Vision
Each eye sees a slightly different view; the brain synthesizes these into a single three-dimensional image, demonstrating that integrating multiple perspectives yields a more complete picture.
Eyewitness Testimony
Witnesses to the same event may have seen it from different positions, noticed different details, or interpreted an action differently. Comparing their accounts with each other and with independent evidence helps assess what each can support.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
In what situations have you failed to consider that your perspective is limited? How could you have integrated other viewpoints?
Think of a recent disagreement: how might each person's perspective have been shaped by their unique frame of reference?
When making an important decision, what steps can you take to compensate for your perceptual blind spots?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- The Great Mental Models Volume 2 Physics, Chemistry and Biology