In the sixteenth century, a new word appeared in English dictionaries: pantometry, which means universal measurement. Ever since, humans have been obsessed with counting things, from people to the amount of cars imported and the number of McDonald’s hamburgers served. The problem for the pantometrists is the same one facing businesspeople today: what should be measured? Facts and figures do not provide a context, or reveal truth: we still need our imaginations and creativity. If everything important has to be quantified to be comprehended, how are we to understand art, music, poetry, literatur
|