SUBJECTIVITY OF DATA
“all data analysis is subjective. what you include decides the outcome.”
The Lesson
There's no such thing as objective data analysis. Every analysis requires subjective choices: which studies to include, how to weight them, which outliers to discard. Meta-analysis example: you combine many studies, find a clear answer. Then you learn one large study was flawed. Do you remove it? That's a subjective choice that changes the conclusion. The person doing the analysis decides the outcome through inclusion/exclusion choices. Anyone claiming 'objective data' either doesn't understand or is manipulating you. All data work involves judgment calls.
Real-World Example
A founder cites 'data-driven' market research showing huge demand. Dig in: which surveys were included? How were questions framed? What got excluded? The 'objective data' reflects dozens of subjective choices. The founder who understands this can spot weak analysis. And knows their own analyses have the same vulnerabilities.
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