Calling Bullshit

The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World

By: Carl T. Bergstrom, Jevin D. West

Narrated by: Patrick Zeller

Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

Bullshit isn’t what it used to be. Now, two science professors give us the tools to dismantle misinformation and think clearly in a world of fake news and bad data.

Misinformation, disinformation, and fake news abound, and it’s increasingly difficult to know what’s true. Our media environment has become hyperpartisan. Science is conducted by press release. Start-up culture elevates bullshit to high art. We are fairly well equipped to spot the sort of old-school bullshit that is based in fancy rhetoric and weasel words, but most of us don’t feel qualified to challenge the avalanche of new-school bullshit presented in the language of math, science, or statistics. In Calling Bullshit, Professors Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West give us a set of powerful tools to cut through the most intimidating data.

You don’t need a lot of technical expertise to call out problems with data. Are the numbers or results too good or too dramatic to be true? Is the claim comparing like with like? Is it confirming your personal bias? Drawing on a deep well of expertise in statistics and computational biology, Bergstrom and West exuberantly unpack examples of selection bias and muddled data visualization, distinguish between correlation and causation, and examine the susceptibility of science to modern bullshit.

We have always needed people who call bullshit when necessary, whether within a circle of friends, a community of scholars, or the citizenry of a nation. Now that bullshit has evolved, we need to relearn the art of skepticism.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Carl T. Bergstrom and Jevin D. West (P)2020 Random House Audio

Where is the pdf?

I’m enjoying the book so far but the attached pdf is nowhere to be found! Where is it

Detailed and Accessible

PDF for audio follow along is great, but descriptions are clear to the point it didn’t even feel necessary.

Logical order with good connections between chapters. Good pacing with snippets of story that keep energy and attention high.

Demeanor consistent with message and call to action.

One should read and not listen to this book

I enjoyed the book's qualitative discussions, but unfortunately the book does not translate the writers' quantitative analyses well to audio. Having to constantly be reminded to refer to my pdf attachment to express a technical point is frustrating to a listener.

Ok

The book is ok but could do a better job r telling then giving examples, enjoyed it though would recommend again

2020/2021 Table Stakes!!!

Wow, these authors turned out a book that is not political, not a soapbox sermon & doesn't tell you what to think. I was relieved... my fear was that they would use the toolkit to try and tell me what to think, but they didn't. It was very fair in the use of examples and really focused on HOW to think about and question things. How to hold a fact in your mind and see if, despite the fact that it is factually a true statement; if it fairly and accurately represents the truth of a matter. Definitely a must read in these headline & clickbait times!

Simple, Tactful, and Insightful

Bergstrom and West provide helpful ways to spot BS. Insightful directions and tips on calling out BS and verbally refuting BS with simple and tactful methods. Personal and professional advice we all should understand to hold our family, friends and acquaintances accountable for, not who they are, what they say and do.

Anxious narrator

I will read this myself. The narrator is over dramatic, and makes it very difficult to enjoy.

Read this now

Probably one of the most important new releases to read in 2020. Don’t delay this.

Great material for studying data

A great addition on a more interesting and real world applications of analysis and data analysis and how to spot bullsh*t

This should be read by every math class

As a math/science teacher so much of this book resonated with what I teach my kids. I want them to think about how what they say and do affects the world. This is such a good representation of how we should think before we act.
This book was clear and very entertaining. I highly recommend to anyone and everyone who sees bullshit