Can you put a number on it? How to understand the world

Tim Harford explains the field of statistics, and how far common sense will get you through it. "If we are willing to go with our brains rather than with our guts, any of us can think clearly about the world by using statistics. And since much of the world — from US electoral polling data to the spread of Sars-Cov-2 to the hope of economic recovery — can most reliably be perceived through a statistical lens, that is just as well." In the Financial Times, the Undercover Economist contemplates the complexity of statistics, and why a little curiosity could change our perception of them.