More Lies (A Field Guide to Lies and Statistics)

In a world where this is possible:

Seeing is not believing.

We can no longer trust our own eyes.

Photographic evidence, of course, has been questionable since the distant days of the Cottingley Fairies scam which fooled countless Victorians over 100 years ago. Now, not even authentic video “evidence” can be trusted (as is so wonderfully illustrated in this fake Barak Obama clip.)

The fight against fake news is real, and it extends way beyond the written word.

And that is exactly why everyone should read A Field Guide to Lies and Statistics by Daniel Levitin.

This book is a fairly easy read (certainly a much more accessible read than the most excellent How Not to be Wrong, The Hidden Maths of Everyday Life, by Jordan Ellenberg which covers similar ground, much more rigorously. Hidden Maths is in many ways the better book of the two, however, it does require a level of mathematical and statistical competency that may be alienating to readers who lack the base level of knowledge required to really enjoy the book.) and it contains vital weapons in the fight against fake news. The book explains how numbers can be manipulated in order to manipulate us. It also guides the reader on how to approach data with a healthy dose of skepticism and gives you the questions you need to ask before you accept facts and figures on face value.