The Buck Stops, er, Somewhere?

“Paralysis by Analysis”

Now there's an age old phrase and tactic used to slow decisions. It is hard to disagree with someone who states “we need more data in to minimize the chance of failure.” On the surface, you would suppose that this tactic could serve us well.
When data was limited, people made decisions based on preparation, experience and intuition. Today, the data is unending, leaving decisions to spin in a tight spiral waiting for the next round of data mining. Today, decisions are based on data that is quantifiable, objective and scientific. Or is it?
Recently we heard how ExxonMobil paid “scientists” to collect data to support their fossil-burning position on global warming. Merck has lost several civil verdicts about its documented safety of the drug Vioxx. High school seniors have received erroneous SAT scores that at the very least made them distraught and stressed. The US Department of Education paid media personalities to extol the potential value of their initiatives.
The problem is our own laziness. “Paralysis by analysis” isn’t a safeguard tactic, it is an excuse. We don’t want to upset our delicate, busy schedules to take the time needed to understand. We need to be as intrigued with data as we are with celebrities.
We need to study the data and understand how it was collected and analyzed, and most importantly, who funded the research. What value does this data have in moving our society forward? Once we understand the data, we need to act based on our ability to think.
We need to practice a “health sense of skepticism.” After “Huh?” our next question should be “Why?”
Published data is a guide, not an answer. But we don’t know the difference if we choose to stay uninformed. Currently, there is no widespread urgency to demand data that enhances our society or our needs. If you want proof, pick a topic and see where the data leads you. The buck stops somewhere and at sometime. Unfortunately, it may be after, “We didn’t see that one coming!”