Civic Statistics: Making sense of the Evidence Ecosystem

 It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

Charles Dickens (1859)

Civic Statistics embraces the Enlightenment notions that human flourishing can be increased by knowledge, evidence, and wise action. Human knowledge is not a carefully structured, coherent body of knowledge created by experts and shared with others- instead it is a complex and dynamic web of interaction between creators and consumers. Students should see the information and evidence they encounter in their daily lives (and in class) as part of a wider evidence ecosystem, comprising agents whose ambitions range from benign to malevolent. As educators we should look for ways to develop student resilience- in particular, to encourage resistance to polluting elements in the evidence ecosystem by developing skills to think carefully, consume information cautiously and consider widely before acting. Students need to be aware of the web of creation and destruction that underpins knowledge building, and to have educational experiences which help them make sense of the evidence ecosystem. We offer some practical suggestions for educational practices.

Seminar to be delivered by Dr Rosie Ridgway and Professor Jim Ridgway.