Charles Seife quotes

Charles Seife is an award-winning journalist and author known for his expertise in science and mathematics. With a degree in mathematics from Princeton University and a master's in journalism from Columbia University, he has written extensively for publications such as Science, New Scientist, and The New York Times. Seife has authored several books, including "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" and "Proofiness: The Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception." His work delves into the intricate world of numbers and their impact on society. Explore Seife's insightful analysis and captivating storytelling to gain a deeper understanding of the role of mathematics in our lives.

Contrary to what our brains are telling us, there's no mystical force that imbues a winner with a streak of luck, nor is there a cosmic sense of justice that ensures that a loser's luck will turn around. The universe doesn't care one whit whether you've been winning or losing; each roll of the dice is just like every other.

- Charles Seife

If you want to get people to believe something really, really stupid, just stick a number on it.

- Charles Seife

The justice system can't be totally free of lies and distortion; after all, courts are chock-full of lawyers.

- Charles Seife

If you want to convince the world that a fish can sense your emotions, only one statistical measure will suffice: the p-value.

- Charles Seife

We tend to shy away from data that challenges our assumptions, that erodes our preconceptions. Getting rid of our wrong ideas is a painful and difficult process, yet it's that very process that makes data truly useful. A fact becomes information when it challenges our assumptions. These challenges are the raw material that forces our ideas to evolve, our tastes to change, our minds to grow.

- Charles Seife

The body, the house of the spirit, is under the power of pleasure and pain. And if a man is ruled by his body then this man can never be free.

- Charles Seife