Model Makers' Hippocratic Oath

Model Makers' Hippocratic Oath:

• I will remember that I didn't make the world and that it doesn't satisfy my equations.


• Though I will use models boldly to estimate value, I will not be overly impressed by mathematics.


• I will never sacrifice reality for elegance without explaining why I have done so. Nor will I give the people who use my model false comfort about its accuracy. Instead, I will make explicit its assumptions and oversights.


• I understand that my work may have enormous effects on society and the economy, many of them beyond my comprehension.

Via Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science