On Being a Data Skeptic by Cathy O'Neil

On Being a Data Skeptic Reviews

• 
  Seth Golbey

  Food for thought
  
  For those of us without a doctorate in statistics, this paper is a useful map to the garden path down which decision-makers can be led by flawed quantitative methods. It also makes a case for the proper care and feeding of the data scientists we rely upon to help answer the most vexing questions. It provides a leg to stand on for us who were already skeptical of the reliance on quantitative methods to the exclusion of qualitative analysis but didn't know the right questions to ask.
• 
  Gavin

  Extremely sane and salutary; along with MacAskill and Gates, this was one of the books I felt worth schematising, to hold its insights close; bullet list forthcoming. She appears to have taken a
  (book-selling?) pessimistic turn in the years since (but I haven't read that one yet).
  
• 
  Ed Barton

  A Must Read
  
  Exceptionally written and easy to understand, O’Neil’s book is a must read for anyone building, interpreting or desiring modeling based on data science. The writing is funny, direct and accurate. The lessons are ones we continue to struggle to learn. One of the best reads on the subject I’ve ever picked up. You’ve gotta read this book.
• 
  Renato Brazioli

  Enlightening!
  
  Must read for Data Science and any (big) data producer/consumer/addict.
  
  It’s a brief summary of other works of the author, it could be a starting point for questions about data.
  
• 
  Kathy Nealen

  Essay on the dangers of too much trust and not enough understanding about big data and how it is used or presented.
• 
  Sean

  Rude (refers to people as "nerds", gives condescending advice), not very helpful. 20-page mini-book (paper). Generally advises people to be cautious and skeptical of claims. Gee.
• 
  Cj Jenkins

  Cathy O’Neil is simply the best
• 
  Hung Chu

  random ideas coerced into a narrative. very poorly planned and written.
• 
  Omayma

  As I am a data skeptic, I like when people touch this topic. I believe she addressed the tension between business people and data scientists/practitioners briefly and concisely, giving recommendations for both.
  
  I liked when she concluded:
  "we need to find a place inside business for skepticism. This is a tough job given the VC culture of startups in which one is constantly under the gun to perform, and it's just as hard in the cover-your-ass corporate typical of larger companies"
• 
  Mms Mamdouh Al Shamy

  I found this book great from so many perspectives. As the writer described "healthy level of skepticism is good for business and for fruitful creativity." so he kept hinting out issues business folks and nerds to make a common ground between both sides. I enjoyed the language of the book so descriptive.
• 
  Michelle Tran

  There are a number of good points in this book, but the prose reminds me of highschool...
• 
  Shantanu Sharma

  This book provides a very high-level introduction to why being a data skeptic is good. Wider case studies illustrating what a data skeptic should do, would have made it more useful.
• 
  Bobu

  Important topic, interesting examples, but presented really unstructured.