Posted by Steve Price on June 21, 1999 at 09:25:37:
In Reply to: Re: Are better rugs peferentially preserved? posted by Yon Bard on June 21, 1999 at 08:51:41:
Dear Yon,
The situations you describe demonstrate that quality is not the only factor influencing the likelihood of preservation. But as long as we only consider the effects on large groups of items and understand that the conclusion is a statistical one, the notion that better pieces are more likely to be preserved seems pretty safe to me.
The alternative is to assume that likelihood of preservation is completely independent of quality. That seems so improbable that I think the burden of proof rests on the person who professes it.
Regards,
Steve Price