What shapes our view of the world — and why does that limit "objectivity"?

Habitual causal thinking, personal and social imprints/narratives, and our own stage of development all filter perception — so "our perception is the reflection of our history."

Three filters are named:

• Causal thinking (Kausaldenken) — the deep habit of forcing experience into simple cause→effect lines.
• Imprints & narratives (Prägungen & Narrative), individual and societal — the stories and conditioning we absorbed, which pre-shape what we notice and how we read it.
• Developmental stages of comprehension (Entwicklungsstufen des Erfassens) — how much complexity a person can currently hold.

The upshot, in Peter Senge's words, is that "our perception is the reflection of our history": we don't see the world, we see through ourselves. That's why a systemic stance prizes the paradoxical maxim "not knowing is the highest form of knowing" (Susanne Cook-Greuter) — holding your interpretation lightly, aware it's filtered, leaves room to actually look.

Tip: Before judging what you see, ask which of your own imprints might be doing the seeing.