Words matter. They may not break my bones, but they matter.
The word "normal" is loaded. The distribution was named "normal" in a different era when "scientists" believed that the distance from the tip of the one's nose to one's forehead was a measure of intelligence.
It's called "normal distribution" for a reason. With hindsight and progress we can now discount the nomenclature, and clarify it. It's okay.
I absolutely agree with SciAm here.
Words matter. They may not break my bones, but they matter.
The word "normal" is loaded. The distribution was named "normal" in a different era when "scientists" believed that the distance from the tip of the one's nose to one's forehead was a measure of intelligence.
It's called "normal distribution" for a reason. With hindsight and progress we can now discount the nomenclature, and clarify it. It's okay.