Comments on: Another increase in moronicity http://wmbriggs.com/blog/2008/07/08/another-increase-in-moronicity/ "All manner of statistical analyses cheerfully undertaken." Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:30:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Ray http://wmbriggs.com/blog/2008/07/08/another-increase-in-moronicity/#comment-7375 Ray Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:09:22 +0000 http://wmbriggs.com/blog/2008/07/08/another-increase-in-moronicity/#comment-7375 Micro-racism sounds similar to the old Marxist false conciousness. Being able to detect false conciousness showed you were an intellectually and morally superior person. The prols couldn't tell they were deluded by false conciousness. Micro-racism sounds similar to the old Marxist false conciousness. Being able to detect false conciousness showed you were an intellectually and morally superior person. The prols couldn’t tell they were deluded by false conciousness.

]]> By: Pompous Git http://wmbriggs.com/blog/2008/07/08/another-increase-in-moronicity/#comment-7373 Pompous Git Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:14:56 +0000 http://wmbriggs.com/blog/2008/07/08/another-increase-in-moronicity/#comment-7373 "Human beings are not rats in an experiment." I thought we were human beings in an experinment being conducted by little white mice :-) “Human beings are not rats in an experiment.”

I thought we were human beings in an experinment being conducted by little white mice :-)

]]> By: Briggs http://wmbriggs.com/blog/2008/07/08/another-increase-in-moronicity/#comment-7371 Briggs Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:13:20 +0000 http://wmbriggs.com/blog/2008/07/08/another-increase-in-moronicity/#comment-7371 Mike, you're spot on. Mike, you’re spot on.

]]> By: Mike D. http://wmbriggs.com/blog/2008/07/08/another-increase-in-moronicity/#comment-7369 Mike D. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:08:54 +0000 http://wmbriggs.com/blog/2008/07/08/another-increase-in-moronicity/#comment-7369 The discipline of statistics has a dark record in these matters. RA Fisher, who invented ANOVA and much else in statistics was a devout racist and eugenicist. Statistics have been used to promote and defend racist policies ever since, including in Hilter's Death Camps. It's not you and it's not me, but as heirs to the tradition we do have a responsibilty to speak up about the misuse of statistics, and especially in such hurtful usages. So I commend your report above. But we must look even deeper and more introspectively at the situation. One root of the problem is bad binning, improper subdivision of human beings into allegedly intra-similar groups. It's a common statistical practice. The employment form says please list your race, but don't worry, it's just for statistical purposes. What the heck is a statistical purpose? Variation within the bins exceeds variation between. The binning is bogus, yet we are hardpressed to deny the faulty mindset. Is Obama black or white? Which bin does he fit in? Why does it matter? It is all a distracting gloss, or worse, a deliberate flaw in basic thinking that leads to tragedy, often of monumental proportion. Bad binning. It is an evil thing. Burn the records. There is no such thing as a statistical purpose. Human beings are not rats in an experiment. The discipline of statistics has a dark record in these matters. RA Fisher, who invented ANOVA and much else in statistics was a devout racist and eugenicist. Statistics have been used to promote and defend racist policies ever since, including in Hilter’s Death Camps.

It’s not you and it’s not me, but as heirs to the tradition we do have a responsibilty to speak up about the misuse of statistics, and especially in such hurtful usages. So I commend your report above.

But we must look even deeper and more introspectively at the situation. One root of the problem is bad binning, improper subdivision of human beings into allegedly intra-similar groups. It’s a common statistical practice. The employment form says please list your race, but don’t worry, it’s just for statistical purposes.

What the heck is a statistical purpose?

Variation within the bins exceeds variation between. The binning is bogus, yet we are hardpressed to deny the faulty mindset. Is Obama black or white? Which bin does he fit in? Why does it matter? It is all a distracting gloss, or worse, a deliberate flaw in basic thinking that leads to tragedy, often of monumental proportion.

Bad binning. It is an evil thing. Burn the records. There is no such thing as a statistical purpose. Human beings are not rats in an experiment.

]]>