In an ever more complex world, we think data is crucial to helping us make sense of things. Some even claim data as information is the basis of the universe. But critics claim there is a danger our trust in data is misplaced. From economic statistics to climate change data, from COVID data to political polling, we have access to more data than ever before, yet we rarely agree on what the data tells us, our predictions based on it are often wrong and we are more polarised than ever. Moreover, philosophers of science point out that data is always dependent on the theory and system used to frame and collect it.
Should we conclude that data is not objective and never free of the prejudices of those instigating and interpreting it? Does data help us to make sense of the world, or has it made us even more confused, lost, and divided? Or should we double down on data, and appreciate that most of our problems are caused by not looking at the data closely enough?
Join FT data correspondent John Burn-Murdoch, political economist Abby Innes, and technology journalist at The Economist Kenneth Cukier, as they deconstruct the world of data hosted by Juliet Riddell of the FT.