tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178284085080580526.post1023885592326792424..comments2024-02-12T23:25:09.583-08:00Comments on Overweening Generalist: John P. Ioannidis and Reading the Latest Dispatches From the World of Science, Featuring Jonah Lehrermichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13526042582094867513noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178284085080580526.post-41574727556835461682012-08-11T16:41:13.464-07:002012-08-11T16:41:13.464-07:00Thanks for the kind and considered and erudite res...Thanks for the kind and considered and erudite response.<br /><br />DeLong has tried to bring attention to another guy's speech on inequality that TED refuses to take on:<br />http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2012/05/nick-hanauer-the-inequality-speech-that-ted-wont-show-you.html<br /><br />There are all kinds of other fascinating papers that Ioannidis has been involved with; this guy seems to be one of those thinkers that needs to be more well-known. His findings on studies that are non-randomized trials (about 80% wrong), randomized trials (25% wrong) and large randomized trials (about 10% wrong) I didn't include in the blog because the piece was too long, but then I left out all sorts of things about cell phones (not) causing brain cancer, angioplasty vs. pills to unclog arteries, whether sleeping 8 hrs is good or bad, colonoscopies, PSA tests and mammograms; Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil and widely published studies that nevertheless seem ignored, etc, etc, etc. <br /><br />Re: Jonah Lehrer: now Fareed Zakaria has been popped for plagiarism. I'm interested in WHY and HOW this stuff happens. Do you have a line on any readable, scholarly source?<br /><br />I LOVE long comments like yours. Thanks!michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13526042582094867513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1178284085080580526.post-38203761923761093662012-08-11T06:37:56.772-07:002012-08-11T06:37:56.772-07:00I was introduced to the work of Dr. John Ioannidis...I was introduced to the work of Dr. John Ioannidis's about two years ago. It was revelatory to me, and it was credible. That's because Dr. Ioannidis has proper education, clinical experience, and analytical skills to undertake a the research verification task, and he never (that I have noticed) describes in absolute terms something that is conjectural. He is also modest and doesn't use pretentious language.<br /><br />Jonah Lehrer on the other hand... well, I felt seriously annoyed after reading his posts on Wired, where he was described as a "neuroscientist". Hardly. He is a journalist with a science undergrad degree. I had suspected something of the sort after hearing him speak to big glitzy audiences at TED events. <br /><br />I wonder why they don't ask Dr. Ionnadis to speak at TED! Or Professor Brad Delong! He is a favorite of mine, and I thank you for providing that link to his 199something study. I read his ever-changing titled blog on TypePad (at one point it was "Grasping Reality with 8 Tentacles" in homage to well, you know!) and now on Tumblr. He is a brilliant academician with a nice sense of humor and amazing energy.<br /><br />It is okay to revel in a bit of <i>schadenfreude</i>. Also, I don't think you need to apologize for the length of your post. If so, then I need to apologize for the length of my comment....Ellie Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11231840376889029260noreply@blogger.com