Philosophy – Page 131 – William M. Briggs

Jeffrey Sachs Saves The World

The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity by Jeffrey Sachs Says Jeffrey Sachs, economics professor at Columbia, "Economic theory indeed supports the view that high tax rates…

Philosophy Statistics

Robert Heinlein And Evolving Probabilities

Writer Stephen Dawson, a long-time participant at this blog, wrote and asked the following: In his The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Robert Heinlein had his intelligent computer calculate the…

Culture Philosophy Statistics

Are Humans As Violent As In The Good Old Days?

If we had records of massacres as we have meteorological records, don't you think we might discover their internal laws, after several centuries of observation? --- Joseph de Maistre. There…

Philosophy Statistics

The EPA, Dust, And The Ecological Fallacy

In last night's Republican debate, the candidates were asked if they could eliminate just one federal agency, which one would it be? Herman Cain chose the EPA: The first --…

Philosophy Statistics

It’s No Coincidence: Rarity Is Subjective

I have in my hand---you'll have to trust me---a certain blade of grass. He is my favorite. The titling curvature of his blade can only be described as rakish, although…

Philosophy Statistics

What Is Science? Part I

Science says this, science says that. There is no more loquacious entity these days than science. What is it? Climatologists talk of the science. Physicists compliment by saying a fellow…

Philosophy Statistics

Occam’s Razor And Induction

Occam's razor: The simplest hypothesis is usually the best. Simplest is easy to understand, and non-controversial, or relatively so. Consternation creeps in with usually. Before that, first understand what is…

Culture Philosophy

Conversation With A Progressive: The British Riots

Nigel Shocking, just shocking these riots. Wouldn't you agree? David No. I'd say rather that they were expected. Nigel Too right they were. These youth were disaffected. Nothing but products…

JohnK on Is Moral Certainty Possible?August 19, 2026
For me, 'moral certainty' is a category error. Such talk has to be refused, not engaged. One example. The New…
Alistair on We Passed Peak “Climate Change” (um) ResearchAugust 19, 2026
Google Scholar's result counts are extremely broad estimates and highly opaque. It's not a reliable or reproducible method assessing topical…
A 7 Eleven Customer Got the Perfect Receipt and Saved It Forever He Spent $7.11 at 7-Eleven at Exactly 7:11 PM on 7/11. What He Did With the Receipt Makes It Even Better on $7.11 at 7:11 PM on 7/11 at 7/11: What Are The Chances?August 19, 2026
[…] that annotates viral images posted the story on July 23, 2026. It described the customer paying $7.11 at 7-Eleven…
McChuck on We Passed Peak “Climate Change” (um) ResearchAugust 18, 2026
The number of new climate change papers is proportional to USAID funding and inversely proportional to the number of new…
Cary Cotterman on We Passed Peak “Climate Change” (um) ResearchAugust 17, 2026
I'm not worried about "climate change" or "covid". I'm worried about what BS the money-hungry and power-hungry, and the useful…