חדשותFeatures and Articles
 

Everything Can Be Measured: On the Death of Things Beyond Measure

PrintPrint
Everything Can Be Measured: On the Death of Things Beyond Measure
By Bambi Sheleg  |  14/01/2010

The question of what must be quantified, and what realms should remain exempt from quantification, is a principal motif in contemporary global culture and in our Jewish culture. It is universally clear that the ability to measure is important and central in the modern world, and yet, there is a growing feeling that there are realms in which measurement is a pointless and even dangerous attempt to control reality, even when it refuses to be controlled.
 
To some extent, interestingly, this question is quite "religious." It relates to humankind's overwhelming thirst for complete certainty, for scientific, "measurable" control of reality, but also to the inherent limitations in our ability to quantify "things that have no measure," to use the Mishnaic expression, such as love, study, compassion, identity, education, as well as other realms. "Everything is measurable" is a question that deals with the human greatness in our ability to measure, and with the necessity of recognizing the reality-based limitations of this ability, particularly for determining questions of ethical and moral import.
 
As the following articles will attest: not everything can be measured.
PrintPrint
 
 1 Responses to this subject
Add a response
1. measure
antonio bianchini (17-07-2010) 
Add a response
© כל הזכויות שמורות לארץ אחרת