The measurement conundrum. Self-assessment has always been one the most important aspects of self-actualisation, the pinnacle of Maslow's Motivational Pyramid. SWOT analysis, deep introspection, objective aptitude and personality tests are some of the tools that attempt to quantify, assess and measure our selves. Ever so often, we generate newly calculated values of our own abilities and reset our targets in accordance to them. But can we truly measure anything at all? The most fundamental limit to what we can measure comes from the laws of quantum physics. If we measure some property of a quantum entity today, it… is impossible to know if we will get the same result when measuring it with an identical set-up tomorrow. The act of measurement quite inexplicably conjures a set of concrete values, from all the possible variable values- from the Superset of Superposition. Till the act of measurement, all that exists is the infinitude of all possibilities. Is measurement a killjoy, a party pooper? The scientific endeavours of mankind have been riddled with an almost obsessive need to quantify and measure. The inexhaustible quest to digitise every possible data has transformed the natural, pristine, real time, analog signal into a dry, synthetic, digital mutant. This relentless pursuit of measurement has subverted the human attribute of appreciation, into a cold, calculative, appraisal mechanism. The far more holistic parameter of health, that implied a sense of well being, vibrancy and gumption is now defined by a set of numeric data that has to fit within a statistically derived notional 'Normal' Biostatistics, an oxymoron of sorts now computes Happiness Indices, Emotional Quotients and Prosperity rates. The animate intangibles of life are being devoured by the inanimate tangibles. The measurement virus has now infected all aspects and elements of life and has escalated to a psychological pandemic. This virus has successfully mutated the human to a humanoid. The art of living is now fast reducing to a Science of existence, determined by statistical data. I wake up on a bright sunny morning to the chirping of birds without calculating the intensity of

 The measurement conundrum.

      Self-assessment has always been one the most important aspects of self-actualisation, the pinnacle of Maslow's Motivational Pyramid.

SWOT analysis, deep introspection, objective aptitude and personality tests are some of the tools that attempt to quantify, assess and measure our selves. Ever so often, we generate  newly calculated values of our own abilities and reset our targets in accordance to them. 

But can we truly measure anything at all? 

The most fundamental limit to what we can measure comes from the laws of quantum physics. If we measure some property of a quantum entity today, it… is impossible to know if we will get the same result when measuring it with an identical set-up tomorrow.

     The act of measurement quite inexplicably conjures a set of concrete values, from all the possible variable values- from the Superset of Superposition. Till the act of measurement, all that exists is the infinitude of all possibilities. Is measurement a killjoy, a party pooper? 

The scientific endeavours of mankind have been  riddled with an almost obsessive need to quantify and measure. The inexhaustible quest to digitise every possible data has transformed the natural, pristine, real time, analog signal into a dry, synthetic, digital mutant. This relentless pursuit of measurement has subverted the human attribute of appreciation, into a cold, calculative, appraisal mechanism. 

   The far more holistic parameter of health, that implied a sense of well being, vibrancy and gumption is now defined by a set of numeric data that has to fit within a statistically derived notional 'Normal' 

    Biostatistics, an oxymoron of sorts now computes Happiness Indices, Emotional Quotients and Prosperity rates. The animate intangibles of life are being devoured by the inanimate tangibles.

The measurement virus has now infected all aspects and elements of life and has escalated to a psychological pandemic. This virus has successfully mutated the human to a humanoid. The art of living is now fast reducing to a Science of existence, determined by statistical data. 

I wake up on a bright sunny morning to the chirping of birds without calculating the intensity of sunlight, nor the decibels of the sounds of nature. I enjoy the morning cup of tea and the crunchy biscuits without computing the calories i'm consuming. I go about my routine without measuring the time for each chore. I do not evaluate my responses leaving them to arise from the almost vestigeal domain of spontaneity. A conscious shift from the deliberate digital paradigm to the far more natural and casual world, where eternity is not a temporal parameter but more an experiential Qualia. 

Dr Deepak Ranade.