William M. Briggs

Yes, They Are Still Coming For Our Gas Stoves

Scientists chase after fads as much, and maybe even more, than anybody else. We have seen this numberless times, "climate change" and covid being the two most prominent examples. Every…

Fun

Science: Climate Changes Causes Only Bad Things, And No Good Things

So I saw this headline, "The International Eczema Council investigate how climate change may impact eczema". And I remembered I owed readers an investigation into all the bad things, and…

Culture

Why This Weird Fetish Over Blacks?

Britain announced that the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square will be graced with this sculpture: It is, according to one story, a "bronze and blue homage to a metropolitan woman…

Philosophy

Does Quantum Mechanics Speak To Theology? — Guest Post by Bob Kurland

“I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.” Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize winner for his research on quantum electrodynamics INTRODUCTION Seventy years ago when I first heard…

Statistics

AI Needs To Feed On Fresh Meat, Or It Dies

In Asimov's original Foundation, a novel set amidst a fading and decaying Empire, one saturated in hubris and self-esteem, we meet Lord Dorwin, a celebrated scholar from the Galactic Empire,…

Statistics

Broken Science Epistemological Camp Report

There was another Broken Science event this past weekend in the Phoenix area. Yours Truly was there. I gather the videos will be on line at some point, at the…

Culture

Only A Bare Majority Of Scientists Believe In Sexual Reproduction

So the Brit paper The Telegraph had the idea of polling 200 scientists at British universities and asking whether or not they were science deniers. Sit down, dear reader. I…

Philosophy Statistics

Why Attempts To Control Opinion Cause Opinion To Diverge

From Mars, John Carter reports in a wonderful essay discussing the Regime's attempts at manipulation says this: People don’t like being gaslit. The psychological techniques used by salesmen, con men,…

hudbwu on On The Probability Of GodJuly 1, 2025
I don't think omnibenevolence is part of the definition of God. Not only because, as you stated, there is nothing…
hudbwu on England’s Mandatory Suicide & WomenJuly 1, 2025
> It is a characteristic of the breed—on average: we speak in generalities here—that in any argument women do not…
Briggs on How Can You Tell If You Have ESP?June 30, 2025
Spetzer, All good points. I go into many of them later in the chapter.
spetzer86 on How Can You Tell If You Have ESP?June 30, 2025
If the receiver and sender independently wrote down the guess / card with no verbal communication, it might be better.…
JH on Class 56: The Best Model!June 29, 2025
How can you make predictions in the big data era without using a model? Trust your gut.

William M. Briggs

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

Class 52: The Origin Of Parameters

IQ Is Not Intelligence

What Are The Chances…George Wendt Dies On Same Day Cheers Ended 32 Years Before?

Class 51: Bayes Is Only A Formula