Re:Ask HN: How do you avoid cherry-picking data?
by cczizou on Tuesday June 09, 2020 @10:35AM
(#23467007)
This is useful. I tend to look for a universal rule I can abide by but reality requires alternative solutions. My hope is to find solutions that benefit collective society while not creating new inequities in the process. I believe conflicting realities need to be held in tension rather than allowing them to cancel each other out.
Re:Ask HN: How do you avoid cherry-picking data?
by oldsklgdfth on Tuesday June 09, 2020 @01:04PM
(#23468427)
> I tend to look for a universal rule I can abide by but reality requires alternative solutions.
I do the same. For me it's result of applying "scientific thinking" to everything, and searching a "grand unifying theory".
I agree that conflicting realities should be displayed, as long at there is no effort to try any reconcile them and force some homogeneity.
2. Play devil's advocate with the information you get.
Personally, i think it's important to remember that the world is very complex and 2 views can be different and at the same time true.
Nickel and Dimed[0] is a book on low-wage jobs and how it is difficult to get by without support from some kind of social program.
Scratch beginnings[1] is the story of a guy that tried to live in a shelter and get by. In ten months he had moved into an apartment, bought a pickup truck, and had saved around $5,300.
Both these stories are opposing, in the logical sense. But they also real. Exploring different perspective helps dispel the notions that there is one "truth".
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_and_Dimed [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_Beginnings