Opinions are data too

In response to Andy Matuschak's excellent article, Exaulting data, missing meaning

There’s a tendency to conflate quantification with objectivity. For example, a test score is data, a teacher's opinion is not. But some of the most important quantifications are based on subjective opinions. For example, we vote based on our subjective opinion count up the totals and use the quantity to decide the leader.

We make decisions all the time. These force us to ‘quantify’ in the broad sense of the word. Yes or no? A binary quantification. How much? A continuous quantification.

The ultimate foolishness in data obsession is to throw out all those useful quantities that come from the black box of our consciousness and rely too heavily on automatable objective truths.