Re: You could argue that this is true of all aggregations of data. Metrics aren’t “real; Actually, this is a core - if hidden - principle of the quality movement of the 1980s and 1990s. As Dr. Deming often told us, there is no true value of any number, there is the result of carrying out a procedure. How many people in the room? For what purpose: to order lunch, or to ensure fire code is not violated different purposes, different counting procedure, different results. What is the true value of the speed of light? Unknowable, we can get a good approximation, sufficient for most purposes by carrying out experiments grounded in theory, but there isn't a true speed of light.
Re: You could argue that this is true of all aggregations of data. Metrics aren’t “real; Actually, this is a core - if hidden - principle of the quality movement of the 1980s and 1990s. As Dr. Deming often told us, there is no true value of any number, there is the result of carrying out a procedure. How many people in the room? For what purpose: to order lunch, or to ensure fire code is not violated different purposes, different counting procedure, different results. What is the true value of the speed of light? Unknowable, we can get a good approximation, sufficient for most purposes by carrying out experiments grounded in theory, but there isn't a true speed of light.