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“You can be hoodwinked with data in the same way that you can be hoodwinked by a car salesman. And so the idea of [Calling Bullshit] was to step away from all the details of the black box: that's the statistical procedures, the algorithms, etc. (Not to say that we don't pay attention to what we do.) But the idea is to really pay attention to the input data that's coming in—to think about things like selection bias—to think about where that data is coming from.”
Join us in our Season 7 finale as we host Jevin West, an associate professor at the University of Washington and a co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public. Dive into a deep discussion about the intersection of data science and misinformation, the challenges of big data, and the ethical considerations that come with it. Jevin shares his experiences from the early days of data science programs, his insights on combating misinformation through education, and the evolution of his course and book, "Calling Bullshit." Whether you're a data science professional or a student, listen in to explore how data science education can empower us to make informed decisions and foster a more truthful society.
“One of the most important skills that we're going to want to enhance more and more is humaneness…things like being able to ask questions, to sort of work through logic to really tease out things, like correlation versus causation. Machines don't tend to do so well [with those things]—they don't have access to the physical world. That's one of their weaknesses. So you want to lean into your strategic advantages as humans…maintain that humaneness by doing things that machines can't do.”
Navigating the Data Maze: Building a Foundation for Analytical Thinking (feat. Jevin West)