Lies, damned lies, and statistics
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Ghosts&empties (Talk | contribs)
ignoring bad results and over-emphasizing good results are simply 2 ways of selectively choosing data
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This well-known saying is part of a phrase attributed to Benjamin Disraeli and popularized in the U.S. by Mark Twain: There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
The semi-ironic statement refers to the persuasive power of numbers, and succinctly describes how even accurate statistics can be used to bolster an inaccurate argument through such methods as selectively choosing data.
There is some doubt as to whether Disraeli actually coined the statement, since only Twain's autobiography backs this assertion. Alternative attributions include the radical journalist and politician Henry Labouchère (1831-1912), but the earliest known use of it was by Leonard H. Courtney in 1895, who ironically became the president of the Royal Statistical Society in 1897.
The phrase has been used in a number of popular expositions, including:
- The 1954 book How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff.
- Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists, by University of Delaware sociologist Joel Best; 2001 .