William M. Briggs

Non-Empirical Confirmation Of Theories

Difficulties "Fundamental physics today faces the problem that empirical testing of its core hypotheses is very difficult to achieve and even more difficult to be made conclusive," says Richard Dawid…

Philosophy SAMT

Summary Against Modern Thought: Divine Providence Does Not Exclude Evil

Previous post. In which the age-old question is answered: If God exists, whence comes evil? THAT DIVINE PROVIDENCE DOES NOT ENTIRELY EXCLUDE EVIL FROM THINGS 1 Now, from these conclusions…

Culture

The Week In Doom — We Are All Seattle Now Edition

Item KOMO News Special Seattle is Dying KOMO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b53uiRFq4Ds If you were at all sanguine about the future, I beg you will watch this video. Item Inside the online community…

Philosophy Statistics

A Failed Argument Against Free Will: Predicting Actions

It is always hilarious when people rail against free will, who are especially flummoxed that Common Man believes in free will, and say "If only people realized their choices weren't…

Statistics

Death Blow To Statistical Significance! — Bonus: Here’s The Replacement

Don't miss the Nature article below! (I stole the graphic from it.) Am Stat Here are the opening lines from a press release (unfortunately sounding like every other press release…

Statistics

There Are No Such Thing As Gays (Or Transexuals)

Yours Truly is a statistician; indeed, the Statistician to the Stars! I call myself that because I perform probability analyses for money (and only for the best people). Yet I…

Philosophy

The Power To Kill Without Detection

Suppose you discover a device which allows you to kill those whom you would. The device's "batteries" never run out; it will always work and never disappoint. The device is…

Philosophy Statistics

On True And False Theories

What makes a theory true? Bad question, that. Conflates too easily why a theory is true with our knowledge whether a theory is true. Both are subjects of great interest,…

hudbwu on New Definition Of Death To Increase Organ Harvest BountyAugust 7, 2025
> Today they take people who docs declare are in “irreversible coma” etc. and not “brain dead”. They are wheeled…
hudbwu on Lady Pilots Better Than Men, Says The ScienceAugust 7, 2025
A simple way to improve the study is to fire the subjects that don't fulfil some perfomance criterion. That would…
Lou on Class 60: Does This Guy Have ESP? 1August 7, 2025
Hello, Class 60: I am sticking with it, and its not at all too difficult. Please keep going at your…
Robert on Lady Pilots Better Than Men, Says The ScienceAugust 7, 2025
Years ago I read an analysis of accident statistics that seemed to make sense. They found that male and female…
Johnno on New Definition Of Death To Increase Organ Harvest BountyAugust 7, 2025
Supposedly said in a courtroom: ATTORNEY: Doctor , how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people? WITNESS:…

William M. Briggs

Class 60: Does This Guy Have ESP? 1

Lady Pilots Better Than Men, Says The Science

Academics Say It’s Morally Obligatory To Bioengineer Ticks To Stop You Eating Meat

New Definition Of Death To Increase Organ Harvest Bounty

Class 59: The Hardest Hypothesis In The World

The If I Were God Fallacy & Evolution

Universities Need To Be Made To Lose Prestige

Only Credentialed Artists Can Appreciate This

Does Watching TV Cause Autism?

Peer-Reviewed Research: Men Find Looking At Nearly Naked Women Distracting

A Week’s Vacation

Class 58: Hypothesis Testing Is All Wrong

Vegetarians Crave Power And Success More Than Meat Eaters Do, Study Finds

Jung’s Synchronicity & Coincidence

Reader Opinion Requested: What Science Do You Find Sketchy, Exaggerated Or Wrong?

Class 57: The Second Best Model

Don’t Lose Sleep Over Research On “Climate Change” & Sleep Apnea

What’s Wrong With The Golf Course Parkinson’s Study

The Unseen Bias In All Science

The Sad End Of Radio

Let’s Play A Game Of Let’s Suppose!