The False Premise of Data

Growing up in a world where science is often regarded as the new religion or presented as the ultimate truth, I noticed a growing trend of mocking traditional religions that have guided humanity for thousands of years.

Not knowing what I wanted to do with my life, I started listening to podcasts and exploring new topics in various fields. This cultivated not only my ability to learn but also my understanding of different arguments and perspectives. I was often told that through the scientific process, we could discover the truth. But I came to realize that there are two kinds of truth: absolute truth, which doesn’t change, and variable truth, which holds true in a specific moment but might evolve over time.

Despite learning new things and broadening my perspectives, I kept my thoughts to myself. I avoided sharing my opinions and remained silent, even when I felt others’ ideas were off or not entirely accurate.

As I progressed in life, I ventured into business and joined a startup. The founder often asked for my thoughts on business decisions or events. At first, expressing my opinions and articulating my thoughts concisely was challenging because it was unfamiliar territory for me.

Still, I persisted in explaining my ideas and continued learning to better organize and express my thoughts on various subjects.

This continuous learning and pursuit of growth led me to discover books I never imagined reading. Gaining knowledge and understanding complex problems made me realize that science could never be a religion. The essence of science is to ask questions, whereas in religion, questioning the core belief can undermine its foundation. This often leads to the rise of ideologies that take on rigid forms.

One major breakthrough for me was realizing that much of science is not objective but heavily biased. Working at a startup, I saw companies conducting white papers and studies, selectively presenting data to support their hypotheses. This experience taught me how easily data can be manipulated.

It reminded me of two books by Jim Collins, Good to Great and How the Mighty Fall. In Good to Great, Collins observed that successful companies examine data to challenge themselves, while in How the Mighty Fall, he noted that the first phase of a company’s decline begins with arrogance. People within these companies only focus on data that confirms their beliefs and ignore data that contradicts them.

At a networking event, I met someone who had started a data company aimed at providing more accurate information. Surprisingly, he mentioned that many clients acknowledged the poor quality of their data but didn’t care, making it extremely difficult to work with reliable data.

Through these experiences, I realized that biases are everywhere, and you can’t blindly trust anyone. Everyone is trying to sell you something, and human psychology often leads to self-serving behavior.

When I started my MBA in International Finance, I took a data governance course. The professor taught us how to establish policies and structures to produce high-quality data for organizational growth. I asked, “How do you prevent people from manipulating data for personal gain, such as promotions or other motivations?” The professor responded, “If we create great data architecture and policies, we can avoid biases.” However, I couldn’t help but think that the system itself is built by people who might use it to their advantage in the short term.

This moment was eye-opening because, despite the professor’s expertise, he overlooked the complexity of real-world human behavior. While his theoretical framework was sound, it didn’t account for the human psychology that inevitably influences everything. Even my classmates acknowledged the importance of the question, with some saying, “That’s a very good question.”

Now, stepping away from this, I’ve started sharing my thoughts through social media posts and videos. I sit in my room, writing posts without knowing how people might react.

Most of the time, people hit the like button without commenting. But occasionally, I meet someone who tells me they’ve seen my posts and appreciate the deep thinking and insights I share. I’m often left speechless when someone comments about how something I’ve said has changed their life.

Through all this, I’ve come to believe that learning is a lifelong process. While you can focus on mastering a single subject, to truly understand it, you must explore other disciplines as well. One critical area of understanding is human psychology. The motivations for personal gain and the tendency to ignore inconvenient truths are what shape much of what we call “science” today.