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Distrust

Big Data, Data-Torturing, and the Assault on ScienceGary N. Smith

There is no doubt science is currently suffering from a credibility crisis.

This thought-provoking book argues that, ironically, science’s credibility is being undermined by tools created by scientists themselves. Scientific disinformation and damaging conspiracy theories are rife because of the internet that science created, the scientific demand for empirical evidence and statistical significance leads to data torturing and confirmation bias, and data mining is fuelled by the technological advances in Big Data and the development of ever-increasingly powerful computers.

Using a wide range of entertaining examples, this fascinating book examines the impacts of society’s growing distrust of science, and ultimately provides constructive suggestions for restoring the credibility of the scientific community.

Gary N. Smith

Senior Fellow, Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence
Gary N. Smith is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Economics at Pomona College. His research on stock market anomalies, statistical fallacies, the misuse of data, and the limitations of AI has been widely cited. He is the author of more than 100 research papers and 18 books, most recently, Standard Deviations: The truth about flawed statistics, AI and big data, Duckworth, 2024.