Something John Cook And I Agree About

So next time someone shows you a “statistically significant” result, do tell them: “I don’t care how low your p-value is. Show me the physics and tell me the size of the effect. Then we can discuss whether your hypothesis makes sense.” Stop quibbling about meaningless statistical smoke and mirrors.

http://www.skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=456

I’ve been saying the same thing for years. The science has to make sense.

Consider the hockey stock. Claiming that the trees stopped giving the right answer fifty years ago is a scientific abomination. Mann blew off the science and went straight into the world of statistical nonsense.

And apparently he forgot to mark what he had done on the hockey stick.


About Tony Heller

Just having fun
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to Something John Cook And I Agree About

  1. Scarlet Pumpernickel says:

    It’s the 1970s all over again, Peak oil, Swine Flu, population bombs, Ice age, but now it’s Global warming and soon they’ll be bending spoons again too

    http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/11/12/5456572-can-science-prove-were-psychic

    • peterhodges says:

      mostly people are just predictable, if you are paying attention

      that can make an astute person appear psychic

      just ask my x-wife

  2. rw says:

    Statistics is a great tool – but any tool can be misused. And I agree, statistical analysis is of no use in delineating basic variables – which is where experimenal science starts.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *