May21 TOK essay (Grade A) – title 4

4. “Statistics conceal as much as they reveal.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.

We live in a world of numbers and statistics. We see statistics every day and everywhere through news, social media, books, and advertisements. What are statistics that every marketer, politician, and journalist uses for their arguments? Statistics quantify reality to simplify complex sets of data and social phenomena. Numbers seem objective, rational, and accurate, which gives confidence and credibility to ideas. The essay title assumes that statistics will never convey ultimate truths and some knowledge will always be hidden. As the claim suggests, statistics may equally reveal as much as they conceal. Well-designed and transparent statistics can show the truth, providing insights to understand the world without prejudice. Contrary, statistics conceal knowledge through misinterpretation or intentional manipulation, misinforming the viewers. This essay will explore the usefulness and accuracy of statistics in human science and natural science.

When we accept knowledge, emotion and faith are one of the most important ways of knowing as we tend to interpret information in favor of our prior values and beliefs, known as the confirmation bias. Our confirmation bias can prevent us from seeing the reality or even unintentionally distort the truth. To confront knowledge as it is intended, we should be free from bias and statistics may enable this by bringing a sense of objectivity…