3 ms·
Doesn't the diversity get represented in the standard deviation of the distribution? The Gaussian distribution is more than just a convenient statistical assum
by chewyshine 10y ago
Doesn't the diversity get represented in the standard deviation of the distribution? The Gaussian distribution is more than just a convenient statistical assumption. Normal and power law distributions seem to be consistent with a remarkable array of human diversity and central tendencies.
- astazangasta 10y agoYes, the central limit theorem is great because it conveniently masks complexity and lets us represent diversity as outliers on a spectrum. But the basic model of a Gaussian - of a central tendency and deviations from it - doesn't represent the biological reality, that the "central tendency" is only the product of our summary, and that there is no gross general 'generating' principle underlying it. That is - the outliers often differ from the mean in a biological system because they are fundamentally different; they have different underlying biology, and while we might be able to place everybody on the same normal distribution, any conclusions we draw based on that normal won't apply to individuals whose private variation makes them behave differently.