Scott Alexander resurfaces classic essay: if it's worth doing, do it with made-up statistics
NathanpmYoung · x · 2026-11-10
slatestarcodex (Scott Alexander) resurfaced his classic essay 'If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing With Made-Up Statistics' during a debate with researchers including Sasha Gusev. The essay argues that rough, even 'made-up' order-of-magnitude estimates beat refusing to quantify at all—as long as uncertainty is acknowledged—in fields lacking precise data.
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