Only narratives can reflect the experience of objectivity: effective persuasion

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the differences between objective language and narratives and how differences affect rhetoric. Design/methodology/approach – Conceptual implications are drawn from an analysis and discussion of the literature in the fields of autopoiesis, meanings and narratives. Findings – Only narratives convey the experience of objectivity, which makes them more effective to persuade people to change than just providing “objective” data and explanatory knowledge. Originality/value – The paper discusses how the projection of meaning is not an experience but knowledge. Meaning is experienced as an empirical property of the perceived.