If I had hair, it would have stood up on the back of my neck when I first saw this video. Heroes and rock stars can inspire, motivate, and even console. The video is gripping because we might not think of heroes and rock stars in certain setting. This is perhaps never more true than in statistics, or more generally, how we make sense of data in medical research. I admit to even being embarrassed in the past about this topic, which seems at best to evoke yawns, and at worst takes the blame for obfuscating arguments and twisting facts. But what if we had a hero of statistics – no superpowers, just a mortal who would be like Holden Caulfield, catching those who wander too close to the risky edge of data mis-interpretation, stepping in to keep us safe but also aware of the edge.
My hero is the Bayesian Statistics Avenger. And every hero needs a sidekick. Or three. The Avenger is more Socrates than Hulk, and less saving from an enemy, and more protection from wandering without context. The three minions each see data from a different perspective. Dr Yes is the optimist, singing the praises of the research. You’d think Dr Yes was a publicist for the researchers. Dr No is the pessimist, with a keen eye for spotting weakness and vulnerability. You’d think Dr No was a contrarian gladiator hired by competitors. Dr Go is the moderate soothsayer who wants everyone to just get along, offering concrete advice on how to bridge the gaps between Dr Yes and Dr No.
You may find that you gravitate toward one of these minions, or that you have some of each of them within you. Hopefully glancing at all three meets the goal: context. We’ll start with some of my own work, to kick off this series of entries… enjoy!
Contributed by Dr Matt Bianchi.
My hero is the Bayesian Statistics Avenger. And every hero needs a sidekick. Or three. The Avenger is more Socrates than Hulk, and less saving from an enemy, and more protection from wandering without context. The three minions each see data from a different perspective. Dr Yes is the optimist, singing the praises of the research. You’d think Dr Yes was a publicist for the researchers. Dr No is the pessimist, with a keen eye for spotting weakness and vulnerability. You’d think Dr No was a contrarian gladiator hired by competitors. Dr Go is the moderate soothsayer who wants everyone to just get along, offering concrete advice on how to bridge the gaps between Dr Yes and Dr No.
You may find that you gravitate toward one of these minions, or that you have some of each of them within you. Hopefully glancing at all three meets the goal: context. We’ll start with some of my own work, to kick off this series of entries… enjoy!
Contributed by Dr Matt Bianchi.
