RE: "There is no such thing as a fact" - Not So

["Aidan Ward" <aidan_ward@antelopes.com>]

Denizens,

Paul Hollingworth makes a useful connection between factuality and
motivation:

> Even though it can be a fun experience, I have seen some people get very
> frustrated by this when they learn that they can never measure something
> 'perfectly'. For others its a liberating experience (now doomed to a
> life-time of 'its near enough' DIY projects). But I think Dr D would
> have simply called the absence of absolutes a 'fact of life'.
>

I have several times had the experience of bringing out the uncertainty in
data, trying to show the limits within which meaning can be ascribed, and
had people get very upset. In general this seems to be because where before
they operated a supposedly judgement-free process, they now have to face up
to scrutiny of the judgements they make, by design or by default. I would
say people's motivations around ascribing the label "fact" to some data as
against exploring its significance in the Deming style are diagnostic of
their attitude to their work and the system they work in. For instance we
might well learn something about the aim of the system and those who work in
it.

Regards,

Aidan

Antelope Projects Ltd
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