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You write "true value" and "whatever particular aims" in the same sentence. That seems like a contradiction to me. I agree that you can define things to measur

You write "true value" and "whatever particular aims" in the same sentence. That seems like a contradiction to me. I agree that you can define things to measure objectively about books. However, I submit that in the end judgment of quality will always remain a subjective matter.

dllthomas 14y ago
It's not a contradiction at all. Remember that the original context was "Moneyball" - sussing out the "true value" of baseball players using statistics as opposed to basing decisions on less accurate gut (or social) assessments of value. This use of "true" merely means "accurate" - corresponding with reality. The aims, in the case of baseball, are implicit, of course - the aim of any manager is to win games. In the case of books, people's aims will differ more. This means there's no single "true value" but for any given aim there will be some amount that book will contribute to it. This is usually hard to determine, but that doesn't make it subjective; it makes it that much more interesting if you are able to get at it.