Pablo Torre Finds Out The Points You Shouldn't Score: A New Year's Resolution
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Jan 6, 2026 C. Thi Nguyen, a philosophy professor and author known for his insights on gamification and values, dives into the pervasive impact of metrics in everyday life. He explores how scoring systems influence everything from law school rankings to social media, often distorting our values. Nguyen argues that while metrics can enhance games, they can harm our humanity when applied elsewhere. He discusses the balance between competition and purpose, using anecdotes and examples to show how we can reclaim our narrative from hyper-optimization and algorithms.
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Scoring Systems Define Our Values
- Scoring systems shape what we value by defining terms and incentives.
- C. Thi Nguyen says handing metrics control means outsourcing our values to institutions.
When Metrics Capture Deep Values
- Value capture happens when rich, complex values get reduced to simplified metrics.
- Once internalized, those simplified metrics direct decision-making and replace deliberation.
How Law School Rankings Reshaped Choices
- U.S. News rankings transformed law schools by making a thin set of numbers the default value.
- Students stopped debating missions and accepted the ranking as the goal of college choice.
