The Assessment Paradox

Published on September 14, 2024, filed under and (RSS feed for all categories).

Beware, Jens writing Jens things.

For any individual or group A we may think that it can assess itself best because it knows itself best.

This is not reliable, however, because it may not know its effect on other individuals or groups, and because it may have a vested interest in the assessment and its consequences.

We may then think it’s individuals or groups B, C, &c. interacting with that other individual or group A who may be able to assess A.

This is not so, however, because by virtue of permanent exposure (and probably by virtue of existence), A must be able to assess itself better.

Examples

Two examples:

Take myself. I know myself better than you do, pretty much because if there’s one person I’m hanging out with literally all the time, then it’s me. However, I cannot know my effect on you or others, and so you can assess this effect of mine more accurately (though others may be able to do so even better).

Take the field of, say, web development (and therefore the group of web developers). There’s no field who knows web development so well like the field of web development. However, they don’t know as well how they affect others, and they have a vested interest in anything web development.

An Attempt at a Resolution

Can’t we say, then, that in order to assess some individual or group, we need both the individual or group to be assessed, and some individuals or groups they’re affecting?

If there’s anything this means, then yes.

That’s why practically, we do things like 360° feedback.

Yet, there are a number of reasons why this is not sufficient. The most important ones include:

  1. Each party, especially the individual or group being assessed, has an interest in the assessment and/or its outcomes (i.e., it may be biased).
  2. It’s usually not possible to get an assessment from all parties involved.
  3. We bump into severe issues around truth (what is it, how can we confirm it) and completeness (can we attain it, and if not, what does it mean for the assessment).

A Resolution

There is no resolution.

Theoretically it’s possible (and not even hard) to get to one, but it leads to the Absolute where there is no space and time and everything is one.

Practically, however, there is no accurate assessment we can get from or about anyone.

Does the world stop because of this?

No.

But it’s interesting to think about. Is it not.

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About Me

Jens Oliver Meiert, on November 9, 2024.

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m a frontend engineering leader and tech author/publisher. I’ve worked as a technical lead for companies like Google and as an engineering manager for companies like Miro, I’m a contributor to several web standards, and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development (and engineering management), but also in other areas like philosophy. Here on meiert.com I share some of my experiences and views. (Please be critical, interpret charitably, and give feedback.)