Re: [-empyre-] is data ever neutral?

[Kate Richards <kate.richards@bigpond.com>]

Of course 'data' is not neutral - the scientific provenance is very evident
in the ways in which 'data' is conceived in order to substantiate a thesis.
Nevertheless it is interesting to reflect on the motivations for data
collection and data mining, and of course the techniques for doing this.

Thus a social scientist might determine that 10 particular datasets will
illustrate and prove/disprove his/her thesis that, for example, a city state
provides a 'developed' standard of living.

The data sets conceived, collected and mapped by the scientist (eg number of
children per soccer coach; extent of electricity flow across 24 hours; scope
of excavated cultural heritage) could be very imaginative. In the best
scenario, the data sets reflect back on and illuminate aspects of the
thesis, helping us understand the subjectivity and the specificity of the
thesis. data sets from differant eras can be used together to highlight
comparisions across time.

In the worst scenarios the data is used as evidence of a fallacious or
politically motivated thesis, and of course is conceived, collected and
visualised in ways that fully support that thesis.

The standard criticisms of scientific method can be brought to bear on these
processes - neither thesis, nor methodology, nor 'results' can be fully
seperated out from the imaginative, political or financial imperatives of
the cartographer.

Kate

> From: Patrick Lichty <voyd@voyd.com>
> Reply-To: soft_skinned_space <empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
> Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2003 13:27:14 -0500
> To: soft_skinned_space <empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
> Subject: Re: [-empyre-] is data ever neutral?
> 
> 
>> data is gathered in certain ways, for certain intents, by certain gatherers,
>> the software is never neutral..it has an inherent signature and bias of the
>> person who wrote  it.. key strokes input into a key board are never neutral
>> they have a rhythm of the user..   we are never objective , never have an
>> uncompromised overview.. yet data tries to trick us to  think we do.
> 
> Well, the earliest metaphor for the neutrality of tools, technologies or
> codes of any sort id the Thamusian question of language.  The problem is
> that given any device's constriction, purpose and context, there can be no
> neutrality.  In the case of data, I think M has it spot on in regards to
> methods of gathering, structuring, and representation.  Lest we forget the
> technologies, the sociocultural contexts that drive them such as access,
> wealth, education, etc., as well of the purpose. However. to delve deepen
> here is another whole thread, and I would begin to rave on a bit about Lang.
> 
> 
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