Original published in Medium

Why do we need analytics?

Business and everything aside, why does human being long for analytics so much?

What is the motivation of developing advanced mathematics, and software/ hardware to enable analytics?

One possible reason is that people tend to predict the future.

Qualitative-wise, we have Feng Shui Master, Fortune Teller, Tarot prediction, etc. Analytics is actually similar – it’s a quantification, but with systematic support of theory.

Some may say it is because people want to get rich. Of course, but to some extent, wealth is something shaped by the society via education and media. It might not be the true human nature. At least, the new born baby won’t think so.

To answer this question, we might need to recollect our memory when we were a baby or kid. Remember the first time, you touched a cup filled with hot water and how painful it was. You were learning consciously/ unconsciously afterwards, as a baby. The next time, when you saw the vapor coming out, you know that the water is hot, and is hurting you. This is actually how we make sense of the world. We know what is hot/cold; what is red/blue; what is right/wrong, etc.

Actually, your body had learned it a few thousand years back before you did. It is the reflex action inherited via genes because your body knows that is hurting you if you can’t sense heat.

Another example – experience. When you say your experience tells you this and that as if you knew what would happen, this is already some form of analytics. And why? some research suggests our brain tends to be lazy, so it tends to come to a decision from the past learning. The inertia makes us hard to think outside the box therefore.

In my view, analytics is a realization of human nature. Human being tends to forecast because of its tendency and it is how we make sense of the world. Without this mechanism, our brain will get exhausted everyday because we will act like an infant whenever we wake up.

Believe me or not – this nature is inborn and it has been happening since we were born – you just didn’t realize it!