4 ms·
If statistics as a whole has a bad rep, there is surely a reason for that, and shouldn't we work on solving that underlying cause rather than hiding it under a
by djrobstep 13y ago
If statistics as a whole has a bad rep, there is surely a reason for that, and shouldn't we work on solving that underlying cause rather than hiding it under a rug by renaming?
- suchow 13y agoI believe the underlying reason why people dislike statistics is because they dislike whichever statistics course they were required to take in college. The courses (and instructors) are often very dry. And for students in the social sciences, who may not have much in the way of math training (or interest), the focus on symbolic manipulation of equations isn't very enlightening.
- r00fus 13y agoFrom my understanding it's due to the anti-intellectual strain of US society, summed up by the pithy saying "87% of statistics is made up". The fact remains that people are unkind to uncertainty and statistical models (as opposed to "common wisdom" or rote learning) requires the audience to embrace and understand uncertainty.