By: Mary Kamau on October 31, 2021
Tom Chivers is a freelance science writer, author and arts producer who has won several awards for his books and journalism including, the Royal Statistical Society ‘Statistical Excellence in Journalism’ award in 2018. David Chivers is an assistant professor of Economics at Durham university and formerly a lecturer at University of Oxford. The common stereo…
By: Mary Kamau on October 31, 2021
Daniel Kahneman who is an Israeli Psychologist and a professor of psychology and public affairs emeritus at Princeton University, won the Nobel memorial prize in economic sciences for applying psychological insights to economic theory. In his book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman uses principles of behavioral economics to show how intuition and slow thinking shape…
By: Mary Kamau on October 31, 2021
Shelby Steele is a liberalist turned conservative libertarian author, columnist, documentary film maker and a Robert J. and Marion E Oster senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. He is very well known for his specialization in the study of race relations, multiculturalism, and affirmative action. In this sociology book, ‘Shame’, Shelby reveals how well…
By: Jonathan Lee on October 29, 2021
The Chivers brothers, author of How to Read Numbers, examines our world surrounded by numbers, stats, graphs, and data. They were concerned “about how numbers were used in the media, and about how they can go wrong- and give misleading impressions.”[1] One popular career field growing in silicon valley is the area of big data…
By: Elmarie Parker on October 28, 2021
In “How to Read Numbers,” by Tom Chivers and David Chivers, the reader is presented with twenty-two common mistakes both professionals and lay persons make when using and/or reading statistics of one kind or another. The authors’ stated goal is similar to that of Kahneman—to improve the reader’s quality of thinking and decision making. Chivers…
By: Eric Basye on October 28, 2021
The Chivers brothers, Tom and David, authored How to Read Numbers, a book written with a mathematical/scientific bent to aid in the proper and accurate delivery of information in media. Both authors provide a unique perspective. Tom, a journalist with a passion for maintaining scientific integrity within journalism, and David, a mathematician serving as a professor…
By: Henry Gwani on October 28, 2021
How to Read Numbers is a very engaging and practical book that discusses the different ways in which statistics in the news can be misleading, and how to get a more objective perspective of the reality being presented. In some 22 chapters, Tom and David Chivers explain how less-than-representative and biased samples; rankings; forecasting; and…
By: Michael Simmons on October 28, 2021
My title comes from a review from New York Times journalist Manjit Kumar quoting Mark Twain who wrote, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” Actually, Mark Twain was apparently quoting 19th century British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, though the true origins of the quote are truly unknown.[1] I suppose one could…
By: Nicole Richardson on October 28, 2021
My first call out of seminary was pastoring a small bedroom community church. Several attempts were made by me to start an adult Sunday school class using my newfound theological knowledge. No.One.Was.Interested. I decided to come at it from a different angle; use entertainment to garner interest. Gospel According to the Simpsons’ was a hit!…
By: Denise Johnson on October 28, 2021
The last year and a half have put a very real spotlight on the use of numbers in the public forum like none other that I can remember. To the point that most people have no idea what the truth is actually, lies or misinformation. Tom Chivers and David Chivers have combined their perspective expertise,…
By: Troy Rappold on October 28, 2021
In their book, “How to Read Numbers,” Tom and David Chivers seek to reveal the complexity of statistics found in news reporting. The authors state on page two, “We’re going to talk a lot about numbers: about how they’re used in the media, and about how they can go wrong—and give misleading impressions.” The book’s…
By: Roy Gruber on October 28, 2021
Mark Twain popularized the saying, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Manipulated and misrepresented numbers bolster a weak argument by signifying false credibility. In “How to Read Numbers,” brothers Tom and David Chivers expose common mistakes in using numbers by the media. The media’s goal of maximum engagement lends itself…
By: Andy Hale on October 28, 2021
In a world in which attention-seeking headlines sell, it appears as if scientists and psychologists are not immune from fudging the numbers to make a little dough or rise to the top. Already a natural skeptic, Chivers and Chivers have paved the way for me to second guess many attention-seeking stats. The cousins refer to…
By: Kayli Hillebrand on October 27, 2021
In processing How to Read Numbers this week, I continually thought about the characters from the hit comedy ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ The emphasis on proving or disproving equations, ensuring there is accuracy in even the smallest of details, and communicating clearly were what Sheldon, Leonard, and the rest of the crew (minus Penny) did…
By: Henry Gwani on October 24, 2021
Thinking Fast and Slow explains the two important “systems” that make up our mental faculties: intuition and reasoning, or as it is popularly described, the conscious and subconscious mind. The author describes these as “judgment and decision making[1]” shaped by psychological discoveries. Building upon decades of previous psychological research, the book critically examines the intricate…
By: Elmarie Parker on October 22, 2021
Monday, I returned to my virtual desk after five weeks of family leave. One of the first emails to greet me was a tirade from a superior in my organization accusing me of undermining our organization and threatening action against me unless I immediately responded to their email. All this based on their interpretation of…
By: Denise Johnson on October 21, 2021
Polarization or the contrasts of various perspectives seems to be themes that reappear in the readings these days. Daniel Kahneman’s widely cited, influential book Thinking, Fast and Slow, is yet another example. His descriptions of contrasting decision-making approaches that influence one’s biases. He highlights the variety of seemly logical processes that a person or institution…
By: Jonathan Lee on October 21, 2021
Daniel Kahneman, the author of Thinking, fast and slow, has achieved enormous markers in his life as a renowned psychologist, emeritus professor of Princeton University, and winner of Noble prize in Economics. The international bestseller, Thinking, fast and slow, educates the reader to become more conscious and reflect upon one’s own decision-making process. The author’s…
By: Nicole Richardson on October 21, 2021
Alice was bored; bored with the doldrums of regular life; bored of books with no pictures. Out of boredom Alice is lured to follow the white rabbit down the rabbit hole. I imagine Alice would be similarly bored with the Daniel Kahneman’s 400 plus page book (with very few pictures) Reading, Fast and Slow. Kahneman’s…
By: Troy Rappold on October 21, 2021
In the best seller, “Thinking fast and Slow,” Daniel Kahneman expounds how the two systems of the human mind works. System one (which is fast) is instinctual, intuitive and emotional. System two (which is slow) is more logical, deliberate, and analytical. The book is sweeping in its ambitions and it succeeds on all its promises.…
