Sharon Bertsch McGrayne

Bayes is a statistical technique for estimating probability that starts off with a guess as an initial condition. This guess has brought it a lot of flack since it was invented in about 1760 from scientists and mathematicians who find the guess unscientific. For most of the 250 years since then it has been niche technique, not quite acceptable in polite mathematical circles, if not provoking outright hostility. However, its influence has grown hugely since the advent of computers which make the enormous calculations it requires practical. Surprisingly gripping yarn and very approachable. Recommended.… (más)

I came to this book hoping to understand what the heck scientists mean when they say they use a Bayesian approach or Bayesian statistical analysis, but without having to decipher too many formulas or greek letters. However, the book may have erred too much on the side of popular nonfiction; I'm surprised that after reading, I only have a slightly better understanding of Bayes than before.

But I can't exactly fault the author. I doubt there is much market for a popular explanation of Bayesian statistics, and it is a more intriguing and sellable book to chart the origins and many different applications of Bayes. There is this nagging feeling on my part that the book lacks grounding on some level...so many things are described as Bayesian, but the nitty gritty details of each problem that would help us really see them as such are missing.

The book also seems to end rather abruptly and without conclusion. We finally come to the flourishing of Bayesianism in the latter portion of the 20th century, and the advent of more powerful computers that help crunch the numbers, but the author treats it all rather cursorily, passing quickly from example to example.

Still, I found the book fairly interesting. I would also recommend David Salsburg's The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century for those looking for another well-written popular take on statistics.… (más)