MISLEADING MATH: I noted below how difficult it is to use statistics responsibly. It’s even more difficult to use statistics in a way that appears responsible to people with sharply differing views on the issue under examination–and that’s not just because everyone likes to discredit facts that undercut his beliefs. It’s a problem inherent in the nature of social-science statistics. The basic problem is that all social-science research requires, before it can even get started, a series of assumptions. For... Read more