William M. Briggs

The Doomsday Argument Is Doomed: Flawed Application Of Bayes

The WSJ on 27 June 2019 published an essay by William Poundstone on the hoary Doomsday Argument. Many are fooled by this equation, which contains a fundamental, even glaring, flaw.…

Culture

Your Most Important Choice: Part I — Guest Post by Ianto Watt

Ante Up The world is a pretty confusing place. Considering the diverse nature of mankind's varied belief systems, that's not surprising. But that doesn't explain the depths of man's seeming…

Philosophy

Sphere Eversion, Free Will & Infinite Powers

Can a sphere be turned inside out, such that the outside becomes the inside, and vice versa, without creasing or tearing or poking a hole in the sphere? Obviously not.…

Statistics

The Epidemiologist Fallacy Strikes Again — Pesticides & Autism

Long-time readers will recall the epidemiologist fallacy is a shotgun marriage of the ecological fallacy and wee p-values. Make that and/or confidence intervals. For confidence intervals are equivalent to p-values…

Class Statistics

So-Called Random Numbers And Encryption: Update With Real-World Example

Psst. Hey, buddy. Word to the wise: "GQNZWZURUDPBFWDMEGBYIXGBGZRSVNHWOIQPPSH GXUVMZ". Keep it secret. That odd string of letters and spaces (well, once space) contains an encrypted message. In order to read…

Philosophy SAMT

Summary Against Modern Thought: Celestial Bodies Don’t Influence Our Bodies

Previous post. Today we start the second part of Book Three. Only another year and a half or so to go in Book Three. Then, finally, Book four! Our intellects…

Culture

The Week In Doom — Reality Based Ads Banned Edition

This has been a most busy week, the Doom accelerating, which accounts for the length of this post. Item The Case for Gay Reparation (NYT) Other countries are taking steps…

Statistics

Case Study Of How Easy It Is To Go Wrong

We used to talk a lot about the amygdala here: Yet Another Study "Proves" Liberal, Conservative Brain Differences (wee ps, amygdalas), Scientists Suddenly Discover Men Don't Understand Women (wee ps,…

NLR on The Unseen Bias In All ScienceJuly 7, 2025
It's a good thing that we don't fully understand intelligence or other topics in psychology or sociology. The knowledge might…
spetzer86 on The Sad End Of RadioJuly 7, 2025
If you'd like a wide selection of radio stations from around the world: https://radio.garden/visit/tefe-am/JSbjvYLx is pretty fun. It's always amazing…
Briggs on The Unseen Bias In All ScienceJuly 7, 2025
bruce, Absolutely nowhere will you find me "rejecting" IQ. The opposite is the case. I go out of my way,…
bruce g charlton on The Unseen Bias In All ScienceJuly 7, 2025
@WMB - I think you are off on a false trail here. Using "not perfect" as a reason for rejecting…
MikeW on The Sad End Of RadioJuly 7, 2025
Radio is not ending sadly. It is happily transitioning to internet streaming radio. My favorite is the Instrumental Channel on…

William M. Briggs

The Unseen Bias In All Science

The Sad End Of Radio

Let’s Play A Game Of Let’s Suppose!

Test Your IQ With These Puzzles! (Not So Easy!)

How Can You Tell If You Have ESP?

Class 56: The Best Model!

Sabine Hossenfelder’s Free Will Folly & The Deadly Sin Of Reification

England’s Mandatory Suicide & Women

On The Probability Of God

Class 55: Models Vs Reality

AI & Chess Both Produce Pre-Coded Output

The Hubris Of Experts: NIH Edition

The Mathematics Of Conspiracy Theories. Part 1: Black Eye Club Example

Class 54: Exchangeability & Parameters

Over-Certainty Of Polygenic Scores

AI & The Dilemma Of Technology

What Are The Chances Thomas Jefferson & John Adams Died On The Fourth of July, 1826?

Class 53: Laplace Was Right!

Even The Woke Say Science Is Petering Out

Expert Nathan Confas: Experts Know Best

Science Claims 7% Of Adults Saw A Mass Shooting