Today’s world is more thoroughly quantified than ever before. We are awash in numbers, statistics, figures, algorithms, and data graphics. Quantitative information is power: it is used to convey objectivity, to strengthen arguments, and to inform decisions—and all too often it is used to impress, overwhelm, and persuade without any conviction to truth. Fortunately, one doesn’t need an advanced degree in statistics or computer science to see right through the vast majority of quantitative misinformation. Drawing on examples of misleading claims from the COVID pandemic, misuses of artificial intelligence and other world events, we will empower you to push back when confronted by numerical arguments and data-hungry technologies. By focusing attention on the data sources and their weaknesses, rather than on the complex and often obscure algorithms and statistical procedures, you can see through the hype and hold your own against those who would sell you digital snake-oil.
Carl Bergstrom is a professor of biology at the University of Washington and a faculty member at the UW Center for an Informed Public. Trained in evolutionary biology, mathematical population genetics, and infectious disease epidemiology, Carl is perhaps best known for working crossing field boundaries and integrating ideas across the span of the natural and social sciences.
Jevin West is an Associate Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington. He is the co-founder of the new Center for an Informed Public at UW aimed at resisting strategic misinformation, promoting an informed society and strengthening democratic discourse. He is also the co-founder of the DataLab at UW and Data Science Fellow at the eScience Institute.
This talk took place on May 26, 2022, at 7:00 pm EDT.