"'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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