A universe of uncertainty hiding in plain sight.

A recent study by Breznau et al. ["Observing many researchers using the same data and hypothesis reveals a hidden universe of uncertainty" PNAS, 119(44) (2022)] raises concerns about the reliability of social science. I raise four concerns about its interpretation: 1) The study tests not one but several hypotheses; 2) The study successfully replicates a null finding; 3) Much variation is within results from a given team; 4) The data are inadequate for the hypothesis. Progress in social science requires attention to theory, measurement and causal inference in addition to variability of results.