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Wonders without number: the information economy of data and its subjects

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Blackwell, AF 

Abstract

Many of my computer science students, and even some teaching colleagues, struggle to recognise the epistemological distinction between the words quantitative and objective. As they work on their research dissertations, inventing the software technologies that will become the basis of the next generation of mobile apps, social media start-ups, and internet infrastructure, they are cautioned that their design work must be evaluated quantitatively. This advice is taken very seriously, even where the goals of the project might be health (quantified), empathetic emotion (quantified), creative arts (quantified), or personal trust and security (naturally, quantified). The conflation of quantification with objectivity can lead to faintly ridiculous research conventions.

Description

Keywords

46 Information and Computing Sciences, 50 Philosophy and Religious Studies, 5001 Applied Ethics, 5003 Philosophy, 4608 Human-Centred Computing

Journal Title

AI and Society

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0951-5666
1435-5655

Volume Title

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC