Distrust : big data, data-torturing, and the assault on science / Gary Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Gary, 1945- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science--Social aspects.

Science.

Communication in science.

Data mining.

Evidence.

Trust.

Physical Description:

viii, 323 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, [2023]

Summary:

There is no doubt science is currently suffering from a credibility crisis. This thought-provoking book argues that, ironically, science's credibility is being undermined by tools created by scientists themselves. Scientific disinformation and damaging conspiracy theories are rife because of the internet that science created, the scientific demand for empirical evidence and statistical significance leads to data torturing and confirmation bias, and data mining is fuelled by the technological advances in Big Data and the development of ever-increasingly powerfulcomputers. Using a wide range of entertaining examples, this fascinating book examines the impacts of society's growing distrust of science, and ultimately provides constructive suggestions for restoring the credibility of the scientific community.

Contents:

Introduction : disinformation, data torturing, and data mining

Disinformation

The paranormal is normal

Flying saucers and space tourists

Elite conspiracies

A post-fact world

Data torturing

Squeezing blood from rocks

Most medicines disappoint

Provocative, but wrong

Data mining

Looking for needles in haystacks

Beat the market

Too much data

The real promise and peril of AI

Overpromising and underdelivering

Artificial unintelligence

The crisis

Irreproducible research

The replication crisis

Restoring the luster of science.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 301-309) and index.

ISBN:

9780192868459

0192868454

OCLC:

1375005823