Philosophy – Page 105 – William M. Briggs

“Freedom Includes Total Diversity”

Here's the setup. That wise man Barack Obama nominated James "Wally" Brewster Jr. as Ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Brewster is a well known "bundler" to the administration, adept at…

Culture Philosophy

Government Became Unstoppable Yesterday

Regardless whether you cheered or wept at yesterday's DOMA ruling, you will have done nothing but affirmed your own uninformed prejudices if you do not read the opinions of the…

Philosophy Statistics

Direct And Inverse Probability: The Bayesian Way

Class is almost over! Just three days (including today) left. I'm way behind reading comments. All logic, of which probability is an example, begins with a fixed list of premises…

Philosophy Statistics

Bayes Always Works: An Answer To Senn; Part V

Read Part IV. We're almost done. Only one more after this. There are examples without number of the proper use of Bayes's Theorem: the probability you have cancer given a…

Philosophy Statistics

All Probability Is Conditional: An Answer To Senn; Part IV

Read Part III. Still with me? Hope so, because we're only on the second page of Senn's article (but don't fret; we'll be skipping most of it). Review: in logical-probability…

Philosophy Statistics

Probability Isn’t “Fair”: An Answer To Senn; Part III

A quick reminder that we're trying to unpack the meaning of the "is fair" in the proposition "This die is fair," and trying to deduce the probability this proposition is…

Philosophy Statistics

There Is Only One Kind Of Probability: An Answer To Senn; Part II

Read Part I. Some of this material is explained in detail in this series. Just after the introduction, Senn starts his argument by claiming an "important distinction between two types…

Philosophy Statistics

Bayes Is More Than Probably Right: An Answer To Senn; Part I

Stephen Senn very kindly answered a post I wrote on p-values (Unsignificant Statistics: Or Die P-Value, Die Die Die) by sending me his "You May Believe You Are a Bayesian…

Johnno on Peer-Reviewed Research: Men Find Looking At Nearly Naked Women DistractingJuly 22, 2025
Why couldn't I have been involved as a participant in this study? I would enjoy the opportunity to be paid…
C.Saltimor on Reader Opinion Requested: What Science Do You Find Sketchy, Exaggerated Or Wrong?July 22, 2025
- Fomenko's claim that (ao) ancient astronomical publications and unexplainable parallels in history accounts show that our chronology upto AD…
Dan MacDougald on Peer-Reviewed Research: Men Find Looking At Nearly Naked Women DistractingJuly 22, 2025
Reminds me of the study that found college women were more likely to have hook up sex after drinking alcohol
Peer-Reviewed Research: Men Find Looking At Nearly Naked Women Distracting – William M. Briggs on Peer-reviewed research: Men find looking at nearly naked women distractingJuly 22, 2025
[…] This classic column originally ran on 12 June 2008. […]
Media Lament State Dept Cuts, Ignore Job Wreckage From Past Democratic Admins on The Myth Of Killer Mercury: Guest Post By Willie Soon & Paul DriessenJuly 21, 2025
[…] generating plants with equal zeal, using questionable-to-bogus claims about climate change, mercury, and fine particulates to justify its actions. One…