Measuring the world can render us helpless — or show us how to help

… All of us have our own versions of the quantified other. Perhaps you construct yours when you read public opinion polls about an issue you care about, attempting to anticipate the nation’s inclinations. Or maybe you find it in the study of unemployment numbers, which you track even though you are stably employed. The former might reveal something troubling about the health of our democracy, while the latter might help you understand the strength of our economy. Neither describes your life, at least not directly or immediately, and neither responds meaningfully to your actions — but both have the power to affect you. CONTINUED

Jacob Brogan, Washington Post


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