Recognizing Trust and Understanding as Twin Pillars of Statistical Ethics

• Activity Number: 665
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 13, 2015 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Committee on Professional Ethics
• Author(s): Thomas R. Belin*
• Companies: UCLA
• Keywords: integrity ; empathy ; obligation ; bearing witness ; replicability ; self-preservation

Abstract

Accepting the imperative for professional ethics in the field of statistics to be codified, how might it be possible to encompass the scope and generality of what we do into a complete yet digestible set of guidelines? Drawing on reflections by leading statisticians on essential elements of our work, scientific insights regarding the human condition, and philosophical discourse on the ethics of interpersonal interactions, it is argued that trust and understanding are essential core principles that can serve as the basis for a test of whether a statistical approach is ethical. The framework's simplicity makes it easy to communicate, its generality gives it power, and its positive-sum appeal could be used to promote professional identity development around ethics. Adopting trust and understanding as twin pillars of statistical ethics thus offers great potential as a strategy to elevate statistical practice, to enhance the reputation of the field of statistics as a discipline, and to contribute to society both by advancing knowledge and by serving as a beacon for the highest standards of integrity.