How youre being fooled by the numbers charles seife original subtitle was the dark arts of mathematical deception. Class procedure class meetings will consist of lecture, discussion and lab exercises in the. Download book the learning guide discovering the art of mathematics. I want to know how numbers, algorithms, data, and mathematics are being used or abused to make decisions, mount arguments, and influence the course of civilization. The argument may use other previously established statements, such as theorems. Sep 19, 2010 falsifying numbers is the crudest form of proofiness. Some other discussions of cherrypicking worth checking out. Seife lays out a rogues gallery of more subtle deceptions. A mathematical proof is an inferential argument for a mathematical statement, showing that the stated assumptions logically guarantee the conclusion. It is used to bring down beloved government officials and to appoint undeserving ones both democratic and republican, to convict the innocent and acquit the. An archive for the fallacy files weblog for june, 2014, it describes and gives examples of logical fallacies from the media and everyday life, applying logic to controversial issues in order to improve critical thinking skills.
Proofiness, as charles seife explains in this eyeopening book, is the art of using pure mathematics for impure ends, and he reminds readers that bad mathematics has a dark side. Hence learning mathematics must be associated with the context of human life and human culture, thus mathematics is easy to remember, imagine, represent, manipulate and assemble in cognitive maps. Concepts are becoming widened and deepened in their meaning. The art of deception shows how vulnerable we all are government, business, and each of us personally to the intrusions of the social engineer. Charles seife is a professor of journalism at new york university and the author of five books, most recently proofiness. The librarys collection also includes over 500 mathematics journals and the key database for article discovery, mathscinet. Quantitative reasoning in journalism and communication. Prosecutors and justices use proofiness to acquit the guilty and convict the innocentand even to put people to death. A framework for deception introduction and overview according to the american heritage dictionary of the english language 1981. My slides in that on the ufo case dont show the whole text because i had to use darrel rays computer at the last minute thx d. The worlds most infamous hacker offers an insiders view of the lowtech threats to hightech security kevin mitnicks exploits as a cyberdesperado and fugitive form one of the most exhaustive fbi manhunts in history and have spawned dozens of articles, books, films, and documentaries. Sep 19, 2010 lies, damned lies, and proofiness math is the only truly exact science, but numbers can also be used to fudge and deceive.
Adobe pro for pdf manipulation and pdfcreator instead, on my home desktop. Math is the only truly exact science, but numbers can also be used to fudge and deceive. Introduction statement of purposes of course today, equally with other domains of life, thought is being subjected to a transitional development in a peculiar sense. The author of this article reflects on the issues of justice, democracy, and numeracy. As our society becomes evermore datadriven, i am increasingly interested in reading books such as proofiness. I want to know how numbers, algorithms, data, and mathematics are being used or abused to make decisions. Ed, the talking horse of situationcomedy fame, the most celebrated equine intellect was clever hans, the turnofthecentury trotter who, even without bene. Lies, damned lies, and proofiness math is the only truly exact science, but numbers can also be used to fudge and deceive. Herstein, i chose my data carefully, the quantum of explanation, 8172015. This event took place on december 1, 2011, as part of the authors. The dark arts of mathematical deception by charles siefe.
The dark arts of mathematical deception nyu scholars. Proofiness the dark arts of mathematical deception pdf writer. The bestselling author of zero shows how mathematical misinformation pe. I often remember how years ago i spontaneously bought a book after just glancing at the first page. Charles seife, who majored in math in college and is now a science writer and professor of journalism at new york university, has come up with a new word. Surprising new conclusions about this concern arise from the mathematics. They do so by pointing to examples of baldfaced lies that 6are not intended to deceive sorensen 2007. Charles seife is a journalism professor at new york university. Individuals may print single copies for their own use. The tendency of academics, politicians and pundits to generate such numerical falsehoods from data and the tendency of the public to believe the results is a phenomenon cleverly explored in the new book proofiness.
The dark arts of mathematical deception in new york journal of books. Truth, reasoning, certainty and proof lets you, the explorer, investigate the great distinction between mathematics and all other areas of study the existence of rigorous proof. From siam news, volume 44, number 1, januaryfebruary 2011. As described during this lecture, a crucial part of this scientific puzzle has nothing to do with astronomy. The strange history of fusion and the science of wishful thinking and proofiness. The dark art of mathematical deception by charles seife examines the misuse of data and statistics in todays world. In this securityconscious era, we spend huge sums on technology to protect our computer networks and data. The dark arts of mathematical deception, by charles seife. Social justice, numeracy, and teaching statistics at a. Unitedhealthcare erisa class action lawsuit expanded to. The book divides the concept of proofiness into a number of categories such as disestimation and fruitpacking. Potemkin numbers are phony statistics based on erroneous or nonexistent.
The principal component voices are those of mathematical history, mathematical properties, applied mathematics, mathematical recreations and mathematical competitions, all above a basso ostinato of mathematical biography. Part of the book is composed of real stories and examples of how social engineering can be combined with hacking. Falsifying numbers is the crudest form of proofiness. May 27, 2014 charles seife is a professor of journalism at new york university and the author of five books, most recently proofiness. It is used to bring down beloved government officials and to appoint undeserving ones both democratic and republican, to convict the innocent and acquit the guilty. Oct 29, 2010 the tendency of academics, politicians and pundits to generate such numerical falsehoods from data and the tendency of the public to believe the results is a phenomenon cleverly explored in the new book proofiness. Author charles seife explores the ways numbers can lie in his new book, proofiness. A day in the life of charles seife the open notebook. Author charles seife explores the ways numbers can lie in his new book. I file a lawsuit pdf against the national institutes of health to compel them to release. Proofiness the dark arts of mathematical deception pdf.
My talk at skepticon iv on the importance of bayes theorem to skepticism is now available on youtube bayes theorem. As one who has taught statistics in a community college for over 12 years, spent 28 years as a marketing consultant, and holds a phd in political science, the authors thesis is that while an advanced, democratic society can only be just with a numerate citizenry, fostering numeracy is not easy. We also acknowledge the financial support of the government of canada through the canada book fund and livres canada books, and the government of ontario through the ontario book publishing tax credit and the ontario media development corporation. The art of deception is a book by kevin mitnick that covers the art of social engineering. We acknowledge the support of the canada council for the arts and the ontario arts council for our publishing program. Some of the documents obtained through foia available here. Proofiness is largely responsible for the near destruction of our economyand for the great sucking sound of more than a trillion dollars vanishing from the treasury. The dark arts of mathematical deception by charles seife.