Editing 2440: Epistemic Uncertainty
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George the Tamperer and Evangeline the Adulterator (from the title text) are analogous to the characters from {{w|Alice and Bob}} cryptography thought experiments. In the most basic examples, Alice and Bob are communicating. A third party, Eve the Eavesdropper, is spying on them. Both George and Evangeline have the ability to alter the study's results. George and Evangeline add uncertainty to the final data product. Specifically, they add ''epistemic'' uncertainty. | George the Tamperer and Evangeline the Adulterator (from the title text) are analogous to the characters from {{w|Alice and Bob}} cryptography thought experiments. In the most basic examples, Alice and Bob are communicating. A third party, Eve the Eavesdropper, is spying on them. Both George and Evangeline have the ability to alter the study's results. George and Evangeline add uncertainty to the final data product. Specifically, they add ''epistemic'' uncertainty. | ||
| − | {{w|Epistemology}} – unlike {{w|epidemiology}} – is the branch of philosophy related to knowledge. Thus epistemic uncertainty is the ultimate impossibility to be sure that what we know is accurate. We are not unsure what is accurate | + | {{w|Epistemology}} – unlike {{w|epidemiology}} – is the branch of philosophy related to knowledge. Thus epistemic uncertainty is the ultimate impossibility to be sure that what we know is accurate. We are not unsure what is accurate beause of failures in measurement. We are unsure what is accurate because of the intrinsic limits of knowledge. It seems that the "epistemic uncertainty" data has a 25% chance of data {{w|tampering}} by George. In the previous study, the data is known but its reflection of the general case is uncertain to an extent. In contrast, in this study even the knowledge of whether any single data point is correct is uncertain. Thus, their data has a 25% chance of being incorrect. There is no possible statement about <i>how</i> incorrect it may be. |
The title text mentions an individual called "Evangeline the Adulterator." She [https://www.dictionary.com/browse/adulterate adulterates] their drug doses. If this happened, the researchers would not even be sure the patients received the dosages (or exacting medicines/placebos) as prescribed. The study methodology itself would be in doubt. | The title text mentions an individual called "Evangeline the Adulterator." She [https://www.dictionary.com/browse/adulterate adulterates] their drug doses. If this happened, the researchers would not even be sure the patients received the dosages (or exacting medicines/placebos) as prescribed. The study methodology itself would be in doubt. | ||
