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Article: 74.6% of sociology is bunk: an uppity biologist has an important message for the social sciences.(Richard Lewontin)(humor)(Editorial)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- May 13, 1995
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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SOUTH KOREA invests 37% of its GDP; 1% of Americans attempt suicide; 68% of British households own their own homes. The statistics in this newspaper are the grist in our analytical mill. We harvest them from company accounts, medical records, bank reports and so on. We are unlikely, however, simply to ask people what they think. The GDP of Denmark is not to be found by asking a statistically significant random sample of people to have a stab at it. What people think, still less what they say, is not a good guide to the way the world is. People don't know. People lie.
Some facts about the world, however, are hard to get at except by asking people. Their opinions, for ...