Review: The Subjectivity of Scientists and the Bayesian Approach

The Subjectivity of Scientists and the Bayesian Approach by S. James Press
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In his book Clinical vs. Statistical Prediction: A Theoretical Analysis and a Review of the Evidence (University of Minnesota, 1954), psychoanalyst Paul Meehl gave evidence that statistical models almost always yield better predictions and diagnoses than trained professionals. The authors here examine the cases of selected pioneers in science and how bias-driven subjectivity played a significant role in directing their advancements. That role of subjectivity is the main thrust of this book. The formal application of Bayesian inference in deriving the posterior probability based on prior probability and a likelihood function derived from a statistical model for the observed data is not examined as deeply as the title may suggest. This is really a history of science via chapter-length biographies for the layman with a Bayesian introduction for the nonmathematician as almost an appendix.

...

[Look for my entire review at MAA Reviews]

View all my reviews