Is Data Science a Liberal Art?

George J. Mount

Is data science a liberal art?

Yes…in the sense that all

science is a liberal art

Data Science

Everyone who does this is a scientist.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method

Science IS part of a liberal arts education.

Data science… just another science?

Liberal arts as problem framing

Liberal arts as a multi-angle

attack

“Data databases are not really “Big,” they are less like robust cross-trained athletes and more like gawky nerds who have one splinter skill and are mostly ineffective at everything else. They are too narrow to create the juxtaposition that leads to breakthroughs.”

--Martin Lindstrom, Small Data: The Tiny Clues that

Uncover Huge Trends

Resources• George J. Mount, “Is Data Science a Liberal Art?”• Adam Weinberg, “Data Analytics and the Liberal Arts”• Andrew S. Yang, “Science as a Matter of (Liberal) Art”• Martin Lindstrom, Small Data: The Tiny Clues that Uncover Huge Trends

Where to find me

• georgejmount.com• Twitter: @gjmount• Instagram: @gjmount• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gjmount