> "When policy is politically polarized, you need more facts," he said.
Mmmm... It seems in the world of politics, esp. populist politics, more facts don't bring better policies. They are simply ignored, or accused of being lies pushed by the ennemies.
> "We have all the facts on this we need. We don't need any more facts. In the land of truth, my friend, the man with one fact is the king."
My friend was saying that we just need to show people the facts to change their minds. I showed him a pile of scientific studies indicating that it doesn't work. His response was "I still think it'll work"!
That's funny :)
Though when presenting facts and studies, it's also worthwhile to think about how much of the world these studies are accurately able to explain.
For physics this number is high. "
For social sciences there's good reason to be skeptical.
Even if (big if) a study is directionally replicable, the total proportion of the world, that can be accurately and consistently be explained isn't great.
"Economist X says there's relation R between variables P and Q"
Meanwhile another economist might have found a different result.. or not have published a non-effect. Or have found the effect to be non-existent given confounders.
The danger is when/if people selectively choose studies, that just so happens to repeat what their ideology would dictate.
I agree, if we limit the statement to the quoted piece.
But I think the full line is true as it stands.
> The danger is when/if people selectively choose studies, that just so happens to repeat what their ideology would dictate.
I.e. that the danger doesn't come from being selective based on methodological soundness as you say, but based on e.g. ideology.
There's also you can't get an ought from an is, the is–ought problem. The facts don't guide your action at all, not even in an imagined neutral unbiased dispassionate way. They can only change minds as part of an argument, and the argument is going to have ideology behind it.
Re: Alternative Facts. Feelings are not the same as actual facts. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_facts" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_facts
bambax · · focus · HN ↗
Mmmm... It seems in the world of politics, esp. populist politics, more facts don't bring better policies. They are simply ignored, or accused of being lies pushed by the ennemies.
> "We have all the facts on this we need. We don't need any more facts. In the land of truth, my friend, the man with one fact is the king."
-- Linton Barwick, In The Loop (2009)
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdoN1LWGgfQ" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdoN1LWGgfQ
N_Lens · · focus · HN ↗
prolly97 · · focus · HN ↗
"Economist X says there's relation R between variables P and Q" Meanwhile another economist might have found a different result.. or not have published a non-effect. Or have found the effect to be non-existent given confounders.
The danger is when/if people selectively choose studies, that just so happens to repeat what their ideology would dictate.
dansquizsoft · · focus · HN ↗
This, in itself, assumes that all studies / papers are equally as good and methodologically sound, which is not a true assumption.
prolly97 · · focus · HN ↗
card_zero · · focus · HN ↗
josefritzishere · · focus · HN ↗