Subjective Validity

Subjective feedback guides many important decisions; ignore it at your peril. 

These words together sound like an oxymoron, like ‘fun surgery.’ Much of our social conditioning points toward the conclusion that the only ‘real’ validity is objective; anything else must be an impostor. 

I object. 

The subjective dimensions of life have a profound validity all their own. Consider ratings for restaurants, movies, or hotels. Or pain scales, and testimonials from friends. All of these are inherently subjective - but still are valid and useful for informing important decisions. While there are varying levels of subjective validity (e.g., testimonial from a trusted friend vs. a Yelp review full of typos) we shouldn’t lose sight of the core point: subjective feedback can be significant and reliable.