Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists Essay

This fib is based upon the book Damned Lies and Statistics Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists, written by Joel Best and published by University of California Press in 2001. Joel Best, a professor of sociology and criminal moreoverice at the University of Delaware, has written a exceedingly readable treatise on statistics, and how we can reach give out consumers of the statistical development that permeates the environment in which we live.Joel Best is a sociologist and, as a result, this is not a book near the mathematics of statistics, but about its sociology. That is, a book about the ways in which with child(p) statistics are generated and circle through society. The title of the book comes from Mark Twains famed phrase lies, damned lies, and statistics, which is usually interpreted as grouping statistics with lies. A more critical title would come from the phrase figures dont lie, but liars can figure.Despite its cynical title, Bests book is o ne of the best ways to learn how to cease creation awestruck by statistics, and to start critically evaluating them. In straightforward prose make full with real world examples, Joel Best deconstructs the processes by which social statistics are created and publication on a life of their own, primarily through blind and implicit repetition by the media. He also delineates how such statistics are sometimes mutated, misinterpreted, misapplied, and manipulated.In his view, there are no perfect statistics, just better or worse ones. Every statistic come tos human choices defining what to prize, determining how to measure it, deciding whom to count or how to count it, and choosing how to deal with unreported cases (the sable figure) of whatever is being counted. Not only does every statistic contain identifiable, though generally unrecognized strengths, weaknesses, and dark figures, but many of the most moot and heavily publicized statistics are created by people in advocacy posi tions.Social statistics statistics about social problems, such as prostitution or suicide are often produced by activists who are concerned about the problem, and may exaggerate it. When not produced by activists, statistics are often a product of government, which may be motivated in the opposite mission of the activists, to play down a problem. A quick summary of the issues and topics in this book offers a good overview of clear thinking on statistical issues. Chapter 1, The Importance of Social Statistics, explains where statistics come from, how we use them, and why they are important.Chapter 2, yielding Facts, discusses sources of problematic statistics. Guessing, poor definitions, poor measures, and bad samples are the primary sources of bad statistics. Good statistics require good selective information clear, reasonable definitions clear, reasonable measures and sequester samples. Chapter 3, Mutant Statistics, describes the methods for mangling numbers. Most of these ar ise from violating the four requirements of good statistics, but a new problem arises here. While it is relatively easy to spot bad statistics, mutant statistics require a second level of understanding.As statistics mutate, they head on a history, and it becomes necessary to unravel the history to understand just how and why they are mutant. Transformation, confusion, and compound errors create chains of bad statistics that become difficult to trace and categorize. Chapter 4, Apples and Oranges, discusses the dangers of inappropriate similarity. Dangers arise when comparisons over time involve changing and unchanging measures, and projections. Comparisons among places and groups lead to problems not merely in the data measured, but in the ways the data may be self-contained and collated.Comparison among social problems also creates unique difficulties. Best offers logic of comparison to help the reader understand how to make sense of good comparison and bad comparison. Chapter 5 , Stat Wars, describes the problems that arise when advocated use questionable numbers to make a case. Chapter 6, Thinking About Social Statistics, sums up Bests advice on understanding statistics dont be awestruck in the seem of numbers, and dont be cynical about them, he suggests, be critical and thoughtful.