This statistical cynicism is not just a shame—it’s a tragedy. If we give in to a sense that we no longer have the power to figure out what’s true, then we’ve abandoned a vital tool. It’s a tool that showed us that cigarettes are deadly. It’s our only real chance of finding a way through the coronavirus crisis—or, more broadly, understanding the complex world in which we live. But the tool is useless if we lapse into a reflexive dismissal of any unwelcome statistical claim. Of course, we shouldn’t be credulous—but the antidote to credulity isn’t to believe nothing, but to have the confidence to
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