• The Life of a Number
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The Life of a Number

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Do numbers have a life of their own or do we give them meaning? How do data play a role in constructing people’s perceptions of the world around them? How far can we trust numbers to speak truth to...
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  • 25 May 2023
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Do numbers have a life of their own or do we give them meaning? How do data play a role in constructing people’s perceptions of the world around them? How far can we trust numbers to speak truth to power?

The COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique moment to answer these questions. This book examines how politicians, experts and journalists gave meaning to data through the story of seven iconic numbers from the pandemic.

Shedding light on a new dawn of data, this book makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the relationship between numbers, meaning and society.

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Price: $127.95
Pages: 166
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Imprint: Bristol University Press
Publication Date: 25 May 2023
ISBN: 9781529225334
Format: Hardcover
BISACs: SCIENCE / Philosophy & Social Aspects, Impact of science and technology on society, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Disease & Health Issues, Communication studies, Media studies, Ethical issues: scientific, technological and medical developments
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B.T. Lawson is Research Associate at Loughborough University.

1. Introduction

2. Data bounds Are Reinforced by Policy

3. Quantitative Realism Underpins Data Bounds

4. Quantitative Realism is Mathematical and Abstract

5. Desire for Data Bounds Underpins Quantitative Realism

6. Data Bounds Are Emotive

7. Data Boundaries Are Drawn Within Historical Norms

8. Critically Engaging with Data Bounds

Afterword

References