Calling bullshit: the art of skepticism in a data-driven world
(Book)
Description
"The world is awash in bullshit, and we're drowning in it. Politicians are unconstrained by facts. Science is conducted by press release. Startup culture elevates bullshit to high art. These days, calling bullshit is a noble act. Based on Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West's popular course at the University of Washington, Calling Bullshit is a modern handbook to the art of skepticism. Bergstrom, a computational biologist, and West, an information scientist, catalogue bullshit in its many forms, explaining andoffering readers the tools to see through the obfuscations, deliberate and careless, that dominate every realm of our lives. They instruct readers to ask: Who is saying it? How do they know? What do they have to gain by persuading me? Are the numbers or results too good or too dramatic to be true? Is the claim comparing like with like or apples and oranges? Is it confirming your personal bias? In this lively guide to everything from misleading statistics to "fake news," Bergstrom and West help you recognize bullshit whenever and wherever you encounter it--in data, in conversation, even within yourself--and explain it to your crystal-loving aunt or casually racist uncle. Now more than ever, calling bullshit is crucial to a properly functioning community, whether it be a circle of friends, a network of academics, or the citizenry of a nation"--
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Published Reviews
Booklist Review
With the mounds of "infotainment" being shared on social media and in the news, it's increasingly difficult to convince others that some of it is, indeed, bullshit. Bergstrom and West's portable guide is for readers who are interested in teasing out truth, evaluating their own confirmation biases, and learning strategies to help persuade others to take another look at "scientific evidence" that may be presented in misleading and occasionally malicious ways. Starting with the idea that most laypeople are not well versed enough in STEM methodology to quickly determine if that chart their friends are sharing on Facebook is giving them a false view of a given situation, Bergstrom and West break down illuminating examples of bullshit in the wild. Encouragingly, the authors remind readers that they don't need to be a statistics expert to refute a misleading headline; it's often enough to apply simple skepticism in order to evaluate the information for truth. Libraries who are tackling election year information literacy will find Calling Bullshit a useful tool to encourage thoughtful, rational conversations.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Evolutionary biologist Bergstrom (coauthor, Evolution) and data scientist West deliver an informative and energetic examination of the ways in which data can be misused to influence audiences. Bergstrom and West discuss familiar concepts such as confirmation bias, false equivalencies, and selection bias, and explore how bar charts, line graphs, and other visual representations of data provide fertile ground for manipulation. They break down the bad information behind a dizzying number of false or misleading claims published in advertisements, press releases, news articles, and scientific research (for example, that the third Monday in January is "the saddest day of the year"), and explain how poorly or carelessly designed algorithms can result in racial and gender discrimination. In addition to providing tools to ferret out misinformation, including lists of fact-checking websites and instructions on how to "corroborate and triangulate" suspicious claims, Bergstrom and West highlight the importance of "calling bullshit" when confronted with it (they do advise readers not to assume bad faith--sometimes people just make mistakes) and outline how to do so persuasively. Though dense and intellectually rigorous, the book's brisk pace and jocular tone provide relief. The authors do a great job of equipping readers to better make sense of the vast amounts of data at their fingertips. Agent: Max Brockman, Brockman, Inc. (Aug.)
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Citations
Bergstrom, C. T., & West, J. D. 1. (2020). Calling bullshit: the art of skepticism in a data-driven world. First edition. New York, Random House.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Bergstrom, Carl T. and Jevin D. 1977- West. 2020. Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-driven World. New York, Random House.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Bergstrom, Carl T. and Jevin D. 1977- West, Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-driven World. New York, Random House, 2020.
MLA Citation (style guide)Bergstrom, Carl T., and Jevin D. 1977- West. Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-driven World. First edition. New York, Random House, 2020.
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Record Information
Last Sierra Extract Time | Nov 16, 2024 10:58:17 AM |
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Last File Modification Time | Nov 16, 2024 10:58:32 AM |
Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Nov 16, 2024 10:58:23 AM |
MARC Record
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003 | DLC | ||
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010 | |a 2020003592 | ||
020 | |a 9780525509189 |q (hardcover) | ||
020 | |a 0525509186 |q (hardcover) | ||
037 | |b Random House Inc, Attn Order Entry 400 Hahn rd, Westminster, MD, USA, 21157 |n SAN 201-3975 | ||
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050 | 0 | 0 | |a B837 |b .B47 2020 |
082 | 0 | 0 | |a 149/.73 |2 23 |
100 | 1 | |a Bergstrom, Carl T., |e author. | |
245 | 1 | 0 | |a Calling bullshit : |b the art of skepticism in a data-driven world / |c Carl T. Bergstrom and Jevin D. West. |
250 | |a First edition. | ||
264 | 1 | |a New York : |b Random House, |c ©2020. | |
300 | |a xvi, 318 pages : |b illustrations ; |c 25 cm | ||
336 | |a text |b txt |2 rdacontent | ||
337 | |a unmediated |b n |2 rdamedia | ||
338 | |a volume |b nc |2 rdacarrier | ||
504 | |a Includes bibliographical references (pages [289]-307) and index. | ||
520 | |a "The world is awash in bullshit, and we're drowning in it. Politicians are unconstrained by facts. Science is conducted by press release. Startup culture elevates bullshit to high art. These days, calling bullshit is a noble act. Based on Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West's popular course at the University of Washington, Calling Bullshit is a modern handbook to the art of skepticism. Bergstrom, a computational biologist, and West, an information scientist, catalogue bullshit in its many forms, explaining andoffering readers the tools to see through the obfuscations, deliberate and careless, that dominate every realm of our lives. They instruct readers to ask: Who is saying it? How do they know? What do they have to gain by persuading me? Are the numbers or results too good or too dramatic to be true? Is the claim comparing like with like or apples and oranges? Is it confirming your personal bias? In this lively guide to everything from misleading statistics to "fake news," Bergstrom and West help you recognize bullshit whenever and wherever you encounter it--in data, in conversation, even within yourself--and explain it to your crystal-loving aunt or casually racist uncle. Now more than ever, calling bullshit is crucial to a properly functioning community, whether it be a circle of friends, a network of academics, or the citizenry of a nation"-- |c Provided by publisher. | ||
650 | 0 | |a Skepticism. | |
650 | 0 | |a Fake news. | |
650 | 0 | |a Media literacy. | |
700 | 1 | |a West, Jevin D. |q (Jevin Darwin), |d 1977- |e author. | |
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