Ten Rules for Thinking Differently about Numbers...
RULE ZERO
*Indiscriminate doubt is at least as dangerous as indiscriminate belief.*
People talk about the weird things conspiracy theorists believe, but think about all the things they first have to disbelieve...
This has been well understood since the 1950s (Big Tobacco starts the 'manufacture doubt' strategy), through climate change denial, negative campaigning - or consider Steve Bannon's famous remark: "flood the zone with sh*t".
Doubt is powerfully corrosive.
It's why I am guarded about Darrell Huff's book "How To Lie With Statistics": it feeds the narrative that all statistics & all evidence are inherently dubious and can therefore be dismissed if we wish.
"The Data Detective" is intended to be an antidote.
timharford.com/books/datadete…
Cory @doctorow suggested it should have been titled "How To Truth With Statistics" - I missed a trick there...
More on "Rule Zero" here:
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