Distrust: Big Data, Data-Torturing, and the Assault on Science

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 powerful computers.

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.

ISBN-13: 9780192868459

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Publication Date: 03-23-2023

Pages: 336

Product Dimensions: 9.46(w) x 6.49(h) x 0.97(d)

Gary Smith, Fletcher Jones Professor of Economics, Pomona College Gary Smith is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Economics at Pomona College. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University and was an Assistant Professor there for seven years. He has won two teaching awards and written (or co-authored) more than 100 academic papers and 15 books. He is the author of The AI Delusion (OUP 2018) and co-author with Jay Cordes of The 9 Pitfalls of Data Science (OUP 2019), which won the 2020 Prose Award for Excellence in Popular Science & Popular Mathematics by the Association of American Publishers.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Disinformation, Data Torturing, and Data MiningPart I - Disinformation1. The Paranormal Is Normal2. Flying Saucers and Space Tourists3. Elite Conspiracies4. A Post-Fact WorldPart II - Data Torturing5. Squeezing Blood from Rocks6. Most Medicines Disappoint7. Provocative, but WrongPart III - Data Mining8. Looking for Needles in Haystacks9. Beat the Market10. Too Much DataPart IV - The Real Promise and Peril of AI11. Overpromising and Underdelivering12. Artificial UnintelligencePart V - The Crisis13. Irreproducible Research14. The Replication Crisis15. Restoring the Luster of Science