www.astralcodexten.com/p/bounded-distrust
2 corrections found
saying that Abraham Lincoln was friends with Karl Marx and admired his socialist theories.
This overstates what the Washington Post article says. The piece argued Lincoln and Marx were "friendly" and influenced each other, but it also explicitly said Lincoln was not a socialist, communist, or Marxist and that he "never took up the mantle of socialism."
Full reasoning
The linked Washington Post article does not say Lincoln admired Marx's socialist theories.
What it actually says is more limited:
- its subtitle is "The two men were friendly and influenced each other";
- it explicitly says "Lincoln was not a socialist, nor communist nor Marxist"; and
- later adds "Lincoln never took up the mantle of socialism."
So while the Post article does argue for a Lincoln–Marx connection, describing it as saying Lincoln "admired his socialist theories" is a stronger claim than the article itself makes.
1 source
- You know who was into Karl Marx? No, not AOC. Abraham Lincoln.
Subtitle: "The two men were friendly and influenced each other." The article also says: "Of course, Lincoln was not a socialist, nor communist nor Marxist" and later: "Lincoln never took up the mantle of socialism."
The first count was not asking permission to include ethnicity statistics in their research (even though the statistics were publicly accessible, apparently Swedish researchers have to get permission to use publicly accessible data).
This misdescribes the data issue. The study used linked individual-level register data under an ethics permit; the dispute was whether the approved permit covered this particular use of sensitive personal data and research questions, not merely whether the authors forgot to ask permission to include "publicly accessible" ethnicity statistics.
Full reasoning
The paper itself says the researchers used individual-level Swedish population registers, linked through each person's unique ID number (replaced with a serial number for confidentiality), and that the work was covered by an ethics approval. That is not the same thing as simply copying a publicly posted ethnicity statistic.
Independent Swedish reporting on the case says the problem identified by Önep was that the team had permission to access the personal data, but allegedly not to use them in this way because the study fell outside the approved research questions in the ethics application.
Official Swedish guidance on register research also says access to such register data requires an application and ethical approval; researchers cannot simply treat it as open public statistics.
So the post's description compresses a more specific ethics-permit dispute into a much simpler claim about "publicly accessible statistics," which is inaccurate.
3 sources
- Swedish rape offenders — a latent class analysis
Methods section: the authors analyzed information on individuals from Swedish population-based registers, linked using each individual's unique identification number, and state that the study was covered by ethical approval from the Regional Ethical Review Board in Lund.
- Etiska tvivelaktigheter i uppmärksammad studie – Lundagard.se
Lundagård reports that the study had permission to see the personal data it was based on, but not permission to use them in the way done in the study, which is why the case was reported.
- For the general public and study participants - Stockholm University
Stockholm University explains that to obtain information from Swedish public registers, researchers must apply to the responsible authority, obtain ethical approval, and justify why the data is needed.