Only a Liberal…

I want to give an illustration of how statistics in any field can be exploited to further a cause. I will do this by simply posing a logical scenario concerning health. Many vegetarians will hoot and holler about how eating meat causes various cancers. The mistake made here is to automatically assume that the meat was the overriding variable. This logic is used in so many areas of “common knowledge” such as the planet has warmed in the last 50 years, and so has industrial output, therefore one caused the other. Without further investigation, this is as scientific as your favorite team’s pitcher not washing his socks for weeks because they’re on a winning streak. Back to the cancer caused by meat: people that eat meat die from various cancers more frequently than vegetarians. Without analyzing the studies, let’s just say this is 100% true. It is also clear that older people get cancer more than younger people. The older someone is, the more likely they are to contract cancer. Could it be that the longer lifespan of meat-eaters makes them more susceptible to “old-person” diseases, such as cancer? If you don’t live long enough to get cancer, you are less likely to get it.

I am not trying to portray this as scientific proof of my hypothesis. I am simply trying to alert the masses to their ignorance of dependent versus independent variables in statistics and their tendency to accept statements without deep thought and analysis. Intellectual laziness is what leads to the multitude of myths that THRIVE in the arena of common knowledge. A book you have to read: Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity.