Correlatious

Here's yet another stick-figure comic (for those keeping track, that's four blog posts in a row). This one's about correlation.

Correlation is a tricky concept. We tend to see the world in all-or-nothing terms, rather than in shades of probability.

Our Inductive Minds

Here are some more thoughtful links on inductive reasoning.

• What are the benefits and dangers of generalizations?
• What makes stereotyping illogical?
• Beware: we often make snap judgments before thinking through things. Then when we do think through things, we just wind up rationalizing our snap judgments.

Learning from Experience

Here's some stuff on inductive arguments. First, a video of comedian Lewis Black describing his failure to learn from experience every year around Halloween:


Next, this stick figure comic offers a pretty bad argument. Why is it bad? (Let us know in the comments!)

There's another stick-figure comic about scientists' efforts to get as big a sample size as they can to improve their arguments.