Iris Data Set has Eugenics Connotations....!

[LydiaFrance]

The iris data set was originally published in the Annuals of Eugenics so it is probably best replaced with something else, particularly as it would have to be cited. Not only that, Fisher published it as a methodology framework to delineate desirable traits from data for the purpose of "improve human genetic stock" through sterlisation/eugenics programs.

It's discussed a little here, and an alternative data set is also suggested: https://armchairecology.blog/iris-dataset/

[jack89roberts]

Thanks for flagging it! 🙂

[pafoster]

In case of interest, here is an in-depth article in Nature Heredity about RA Fisher:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-020-00394-6

[jack89roberts]

Thanks, looks like an interesting read! To be honest, even without being aware of potential issues around Fisher I didn't really want to use Iris in the first place as it's so ubiquitous/overused (but we were short of time and finding suitable learning datasets is tough). So I didn't need much convincing to swap it for something else.

[pafoster]

No problem -- I thought it would be good to add the article here, simply for anyone who is interested in learning more about the facts around the person, but also Statistics and Data Science.