On Being a Data Skeptic

On Being a Data Skeptic

Cathy O'Neil2013
"Data is here, it's growing, and it's powerful." Author Cathy O'Neil argues that the right approach to data is skeptical, not cynical––it understands that, while powerful, data science tools often fail. Data is nuanced, and "a really excellent skeptic puts the term 'science' into 'data science.'" The big data revolution shouldn't be dismissed as hype, but current data science tools and models shouldn't be hailed as the end-all-be-all, either.
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Reviews

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Gavin@gl
3 stars
Mar 9, 2023

Extremely sane and salutary; along with MacAskill and Gates, this was one of the books I felt worth schematising, to hold its insights close; bullet list forthcoming. She appears to have taken a (book-selling?) pessimistic turn in the years since (but I haven't read that one yet).

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Ratna yuriasari@ratna
4 stars
Mar 24, 2023
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Ryan B Harvey@codeanddata
4 stars
Jan 8, 2022

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