*Sighs*
I'm disappointed in both Jacob and the others...
In Jacob for eschewing empiricism.
And in the others for resorting to stupidity.
Check it out:
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I don't get it, when did he eschew empiricism?
The second video he goes into points about statistics, in the beginning.
And when applied to Sociology and Economics, at least.
Except that he's right: statistics is not supposed to be used this way. With statistics, you have to explicitly define what you're doing at the start, and what would be a matching result and what would be an anomalous result. Otherwise, you're just retrofitting, just like what the Bible Code people do.
Quote from: MrBogosity on August 24, 2010, 07:01:24 AM
Except that he's right: statistics is not supposed to be used this way. With statistics, you have to explicitly define what you're doing at the start, and what would be a matching result and what would be an anomalous result. Otherwise, you're just retrofitting, just like what the Bible Code people do.
To be fair, I didn't watch all of the second video, however, I didn't get far enough for him to talk about not retrofitting what's being done at the start, what's a matching result, an anomalous result, etc, assuming he ever says that to begin with. :\
Even in this one and in the one above it (if memory serves) he says he prefers to use deductive reasoning (a priori) as opposed to empiricism.
Also, here are the videos Jacob is responding to.
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What he's criticizing is the equivalent of saying, TEH ECONOMY WUZ GRATEZ IN WWII!! L00K HOW LOW UNEMPLOYMENT WUZ!!1!!!11!!!1!!one!!one!!1!!eleventy-one!!
Quote from: MrBogosity on August 24, 2010, 09:27:31 AM
What he's criticizing is the equivalent of saying, TEH ECONOMY WUZ GRATEZ IN WWII!! L00K HOW LOW UNEMPLOYMENT WUZ!!1!!!11!!!1!!one!!one!!1!!eleventy-one!!
I hear things like that a lot. I've just started shaking my head about it now.
Quote from: MrBogosity on August 24, 2010, 09:27:31 AM
What he's criticizing is the equivalent of saying, TEH ECONOMY WUZ GRATEZ IN WWII!! L00K HOW LOW UNEMPLOYMENT WUZ!!1!!!11!!!1!!one!!one!!1!!eleventy-one!!
lol, OK, fair enough. True, and yes, granted, when using stats, in addition to what you said above about defining success, failure and so forth before you begin, you also need:
1. Controls
2. Context
3. Adequate sample size and
4. randomized sample to minimize bias.
And that's just what comes to my untrained mind from the start.
But even so, why did he need to bash "empiricism", not just in that context?
Maybe I am misinterpreting what he was saying at the beginning of that video, but dang.
To be fair, he does use statistics on occasion, so (to pull a Lord T Hawkeye) it may very well be that you're right on this.
So what did you think of the videos Jacob is responding to?
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So he claims that the studies showing blacks and Latinos being criminals are controlled as well.
I think I remember Shane pointing out in a comment on his "racism in government" video that when controlled throughout the person's life, that it is not the case for blacks.