The Metricracy (In Polish as ‘Miarokracja’)

In this essay, I explore society’s modern obsession with quantifying every aspect of life, from sleep quality to political freedom. Driven by a deep-seated belief in “computational thinking,” we increasingly rely on numbers and algorithmic decision-making to provide an illusion of perfect, mechanical objectivity.

Tracing the history of this phenomenon, the essay reveals how disciplines like economics and statistics were radically mathematicalized in the 19th and 20th centuries to borrow the unquestionable authority of the hard sciences. However, reducing complex human realities to simple metrics often triggers disastrous consequences—a phenomenon known as Goodhart’s Law.

Through historical examples—ranging from colonial rat-catching schemes in Hanoi to the tragic reliance on “body counts” during the Vietnam War—I illustrate how making a measure a target ultimately destroys its value.

Ultimately, the piece argues that while statistical models are essential tools, they are historical constructs rather than infallible laws of nature, and we must never let them replace human judgment.

Read the full article at Miesięcznik Znak →

Originally published in Polish as “Miarokracja” on January 30, 2026