"'Statistics conceal as much as they reveal.' Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge"
AOK Considered
Human Science
Natural Science
Introduction
Statistics
A form of model that attempts to quantify the reality, in order to grasp a better understanding of the world we live in
Conceal
When particular knowledge is hidden from the usage of statistics as a mode of communicating ideas
Reveal
When particular knowledge is shown from the usage of statistics
"As much"
Like an old scale, the amount of revelation and concealing is equal
Knowledge is equally shown and hidden in statistics
Claim
The methodology involved in statistics cause revelation of objective, partial knowledge
Counter-Claim
Statistics inherently simplifies the complex reality through its methodology
TOK Vocab
The Gestalt Theory
we discern something in its entirety before we work out its individual parts. This is how we understand the information provided to us by our visual sense.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
One event happens in succession to another event, there there must be causation (correlation vs causation)
Conclusion
Whether statistics conceals more than reveal, or the opposite is dependent on the S/A
The methodology involved in statistics conceal "complete" knowledge
Gets rid of emotion that takes place
The language of mathematics is consider to be objective
Generalization
Causality vs Correlation
Requires PK to interpret the stats for complete knowledge
Different people could interpret stats differently, thus differences in the knowledge revealed from stats
Politicians in HS could use this as a way to fit their narrative
People lacking specific AOK knowledge and statistical knowledge could create "faulty" knowledge,
The majority or the trend is what is counted as claim in statistics
Anomalies are not counted, or are often ignored. This may be concealing knowledge
The sample of the majority does not represent every single person in the population
Numbers can not communicate effectively, the emotions or other factors
For HS, this can conceal a lot as the study of humans require the understanding of emotions (S/A, methodology, language/concept)
Stats itself cannot explain if two events are a result of causality or correlation
Shows general trend, depicts part of the complex reality
Statistics is considered to be 'reasonable'
Coherence theory
for something to be true it must be logical and coherent with past discoveries
Inductive reasoning
Relativism?
Illustrates a general idea of something
Denotation vs Connotation
Connotation of conceal or reveal
implications
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