Data vs Anecdotes
Release Date: November 25, 2022
Remember when your friend was trying to convince you not to do that thing, cause they had a bad experience with it, but the data you’ve seen says otherwise. Should you go with your friend’s advice, or go with the data? Wouldn’t it be easier if we already knew the outcome? Unfortunately, we do not have those abilities. Listen to our conversation as to how we each deal with this differently.
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Audio
Video
Welcome
Where we take difficult topics and try to identify what’s blocking your view. Try to unlearn and rewash and possibly rewire our brains since we don’t seem to be having much luck changing other people’s views. For Self help through kaizen, a Japanese term for improvement in small increments.
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Guests - Jose
We are citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings.
Street Epistemology - Socratic Questioning
How did you come to that stance?
Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?
Conjecture - Forming an opinion based on incomplete information.
How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
Topic - Data vs Anectodes
Scenario - Scale from 1-100.
State your position. At the end we come back and see if the needle moved at all.
Scenario 1
You’re about to have a procedure, a close and trusted friend says he had a terrible experience with it, but the data and your doctor says the data shows it’s safe. On a scale of 1-100, what would you normally side with, 1 your friend’s anecdote, or 100 the data.
Jose - 95/95
Sal - 90/85
Vero -90/90
Now your friend is having a different procedure done that you have had. You had a good experience. The data is now showing that there may be unforseen side effects. You still have not experienced any side effects. On a scale of 1-100, 1 should they listen to you, or 100 to the data.
Jose - 95
Sal - 90
Vero - 80
Questions to think about?
factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation
a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident
an account regarded as unreliable or hearsay.
"his wife's death has long been the subject of rumor and anecdote"
Why did you choose this topic?
When should anecdotes have consideration over data or vice versa?
Are reviews anecdotes or data?
What about our anecdotes vs data? How should they be received? If they are in a skilled area do they count as data or still anecdotes
What is blocking your view? And what is blocking others view?
How do you propose solving this issue? How can a compromise be reached?
What is an actionable first step we could take in starting to remedy this?
What about you? What are your thoughts? Let us know.
