Reading “Calling Bullshit” by Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West

Despite the pop title, “Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World” is actually a tough-minded guide to spot, deconstruct and refute misinformation, fake news, and false data that abound in our society. To me, the materials and ideas covered in the book can also serve as an educational resource for epidemiology students.

Coming from a non-English speaking background, I have always thought that ‘bullshit’ is a kind of foul language. And, I was somewhat shocked to see the word in the book’s title. However, it…