Rex Kerr
Feb 11, 2022

You gave your own answer: individuals are single data points, while statistics are quantification of lots of data points. The individual does not have the experience at the level "where statistics are generated". They have their own experience. In a heterogeneous society, and with variation between individuals, this means that there are a wide range of experiences.

For instance, men have the experience, statistically, of "being tall". However, individual men have different experiences depending both on their own height and occasionally because of their career.

That there are commonalities of experience worth talking about does not mean that everyone has had them. For instance, going to a baseball game is a commonality of experience shared by many Americans, but not so many people of most other nationalities. But there are lots of people in the United States who pay no attention to baseball.

Rex Kerr
Rex Kerr

Written by Rex Kerr

One who rejoices when everything is made as simple as possible, but no simpler. Sayer of things that may be wrong, but not so bad that they're not even wrong.

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