The Illusion of Academic Objectivity
Western academics who refine their written works to eliminate any linguistic evidence of dogmatism to maintain an aura of objectivity have duped many Muslims into believing that Western academic scholarship is less dogmatic and more objective in its methodology than the works of traditional Muslim scholars.
Instead, an author’s objectivity should be assessed by criteria such as whether he has adequately represented his opponent’s stance, demonstrated a sincere and determined effort to engage with his opponent’s most persuasive arguments, is charitable in interpreting his opponent’s remarks, etc.
Let us not confuse tone with objectivity. Professional and academic writing does not necessarily translate into objective scholarly work. You can have good scholarship delivered in a polemical tone and poor scholarship donned in a brilliantly presented academic paper.
There is no denying the power of presentation and language on influencing our perceptions; yet, we need to train ourselves to look beyond the surface and be more concerned with the actual substance of the arguments. Doing so requires a strong knowledge of the respective subject at hand, sound logical reasoning, and a keen eye for detail.
Further Reading: How Not to Get Duped by Sloppy Western Academic ‘Scholarship’ in Islamic Studies