Every one knew how laborious the usual method is of attaining to arts and sciences; whereas, by his contrivance, the most ignorant person at a reasonable charge, and with a little bodily labour, may write books in philosophy, poetry, politics, law, mathematics, and theology, without the least assistance from genius or study

GULLIVER’S TRAVELS. CHAPTER V: The Author permitted to see the Grand Academy of Lagado.
By Jonathan Swift, 1726.

Step 1: Decide on ideological argument and proposed policy remedies;
Step 2: Manipulate data as needed to justify;
Step 3: Publish book…
Step 4: Ideological allies receive book rapturously, say it cannot be challenged due to quantitative rigor of underlying data analysis…
Step 5: Data analysis carved up by outside analysts;
Step 6: Response from allies = “Data & analysis don’t matter — we KNOW the truth.”

– The overwhelming initial reception of the book was, “See? Rigorous proof of what we have always believed and said!”
By Marc Andreessen, 2014.

The first professor … said perhaps I might wonder to see him employed in a project for improving speculative knowledge by practical and mechanical operations. But the world would soon be sensible of its usefulness, and he flattered himself that a more noble exalted thought never sprang in any other man’s head. JONATHAN SWIFT, 1726

After all, the “logic is neither an art nor a science but a dodge” ~Stendhal