SEE HERE The world is full of myths motivated by beliefs that just aren't so. I'll call these "just-so" stories. You should probably start your own collection. There is no shortage of "just-so" stories, they pop up wherever someone wants to advance an agenda but doesn't have the actual facts. They make them up in a plausible way whether it is global warming or mercury in fish (hasn't changed in centuries) or that the poor are poor because they are exploited by the rich. Thomas Sowell touches on the edges of this theme, but it is far broader and it's worth starting your own personal collection. Failing that you'll find yourself nodding your head in agreement as some "just-so" story is sailed past you. The antidote is simple. "Show me the data." If they look at you like "what planet did you fall off of, it's obvious" then you know they don't have the data. It might be true, but probably isn't.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Fallacy of Just-So Stories
SEE HERE The world is full of myths motivated by beliefs that just aren't so. I'll call these "just-so" stories. You should probably start your own collection. There is no shortage of "just-so" stories, they pop up wherever someone wants to advance an agenda but doesn't have the actual facts. They make them up in a plausible way whether it is global warming or mercury in fish (hasn't changed in centuries) or that the poor are poor because they are exploited by the rich. Thomas Sowell touches on the edges of this theme, but it is far broader and it's worth starting your own personal collection. Failing that you'll find yourself nodding your head in agreement as some "just-so" story is sailed past you. The antidote is simple. "Show me the data." If they look at you like "what planet did you fall off of, it's obvious" then you know they don't have the data. It might be true, but probably isn't.
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