The Tyranny of Numbers - By Thomas J Bevan - The Commonplace
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The Tyranny of Numbers - By Thomas J Bevan - The Commonplace
“Value” and “productivity” cannot be expressed in objective figures, even if we pretend the opposite: “We have a high graduation rate, therefore we offer a good education” – “Our doctors are focused and efficient, therefore we provide good care” – “We have a high publication rate, therefore we are an excellent university” – “We have a high audience
... See moreRutger Bregman • Utopia for Realists
When we gear our society around efficiency, we produce more and more of the measurable, while the immeasurable, the qualitative, and the things we don’t think to measure drain away. Bedazzled by quantitative abundance, we might not be able to see what is lost, but we can definitely feel its absence.
Sari Azout • The End of Productivity
Social scientists have long understood that statistical metrics are at their most pernicious when they are being used to control the world, rather than try to understand it.
Tim Harford • The Data Detective
I believe the “ tyranny of numbers ” has atrophied people’s abilities to listen to their body. Numbers can be helpful, but often cause me to lose the plot. I’ve found that I feel better when I let my body tell me what I really want, instead of the non-actionable anxiety associated with metrics.
Andrew Ettinger • 30 more things I believe
the better things get, the more anxious and desperate we all seem to feel.
Mark Manson • Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope (The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2 Book Series))
“When we gear our society around efficiency, we produce more and more of the measurable, while the immeasurable, the qualitative, and the things we don’t think to measure drain away. Bedazzled by quantitative abundance, we might not be able to see what is lost, but we can definitely feel its absence.”