Statistics, representation and knowledge

Abstract

The statistics are representations of something else. These representations are produced from pre-defined segments, chosen to simplify certain aspects of the world, which are the object of a given study Those segments are intended to comprehend such aspects and are expressed, for instance, in the questions of a questionnaire, in the categories associated to the elements collected by the research and defined by some specific indicator that is unique among several
others. The statistics show numbers that represent sets with the same characteristics expressed in the idealized classification built by the researchers. They may only be used if they reveal the researchers´ choices, which should be expressed: in classification and concepts associated to the representation; in the segments of the universe chosen as object of study; and in the errors that are associated to the divulged results. If the statistics do not reveal those choices, using them will defeat the very purpose of statistics: to increase knowledge.