I've spent quite a bit of time in the last few weeks - probably too much - thinking about the term 'regression' and its use in statistics, and why I find it so dislikeable. I sincerely doubt any campaign I try to start will have any real effect, so let me lay down the reasons why I feel we as scientists should refer to linear modelling as just such, and not as 'regression'.

One reason is that the word only has a tenuous connection to the actual algorithm - the other is that it far too often implies a causal relationship where none exists.