In this cool and perceptive exploration of the way we use figures,
the author attempts to show why counting can't make us happy. When,
for instance, we try to assess an appropriate level of compensation
for a damaged reputation in libel cases, what are the criteria? How
do we translate the ephemeral concepts such as reputation (which
Othello termed the immortal part of the self) into numbers of
pounds in a bank account? A good deal of the book is taken up by a
history of counting focusing particularly on the Utilitarianism of
Bentham and Mill, so passionately detested by Dickens (one recalls
the satirical portrait of Mr. Gradgrind and his obsession with
fact), and the Victorian Commissioners who collected moral
statistics. The Boyle carries his observations through to our own
time, scrutinizing our attempts to quantify business goodwill or
intellectual capital, and concluding that the old rationalism has
given way to an ethos which includes empathy and the beginnings of
moral coherence. While this destabilizes a rule-based system, it
arguably leads to a more organic and saner way of living. (Kirkus
UK)
Too often we try to quantify what can’t actually be measured. We count people, but not individuals. We count exam results rather than intelligence, benefit claimants instead of poverty. The government has set itself 10,000 new targets. Politicians pack their speeches with skewed statistics: crime rates are either rising or falling depending on who is doing the counting.
We are in a world in which everything designed only to be measured. If it can’t be measured it can be ignored.
But the big problem is what numbers don’t tell you. They won’t interpret. They won’t inspire, and they won’t tell you precisely what causes what.
In this passionately argued and thought-provoking book, David Boyle examines our obsession with numbers. He reminds us of the danger of taking numbers so seriously at the expense of what is non-measurable, non-calculable: intuition, creativity, imagination, happiness…
Counting is a vital human skill. Yardsticks are a vital tool. As long as we remember how limiting they are if we cling to them too closely.
• Americans who claim to have been abducted by aliens = 3.7 million
• Average time spent by British people in traffic jams every year = 11 days
• Number of Americans shot by children under six between 1983 and 1993 = 138, 490
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
