William M. Briggs

Researchers Discover Parents Label Animals By Binary Sex At Zoos

Today a paper which is the almost certain winner of the Third Annual WMBriggs.com Bad Science Award (First winner; Second winner). Discovered by reader Nate Winchester, we have the peer-reviewed…

Culture

Russia’s Rise: Part I — Guest Post by Ianto Watt

This is Part I of II parts. The second part will run next Tuesday. I have been asked why I think Russia has returned to the center stage in world…

Culture Statistics

Pope Says Using Paper & Plastic A Sin

If you're a Christian, what do you suppose is the most pressing problem in the world today? The rapid fading of Christianity in the West? The dramatic increase in, and…

Philosophy SAMT

Summary Against Modern Thought: Differences In Being and What Is In Intellectual Substances

See the first post in this series for an explanation and guide of our tour of Summa Contra Gentiles. All posts are under the category SAMT. Previous post. Back to…

Culture Philosophy

On Ethical Socialism — Guest Post by Oswald Spengler

This excerpt is drawn from the 1965 Oxford University Press abridged edition of The Decline of the West, pages 185-187. Let us, once more, review Socialism (independently if the economic…

Statistics

Stream: xkcd’s Global Warming Time Series Mistakes

Today's post is at the Stream: xkcd's Global Warming Time Series Mistakes. The popular web cartoon xkcd has provided a wonderful opportunity to plug my must-read (and too expensive) book…

Culture

Comments on The Flight 93 Election. Let’s Roll

From reader Dean Ericson and from many other sources, the required must-read "The Flight 93 Election" by Publius Decius Mus at the sober Claremont Review of Books. If you support…

Fun

Uncertainty and the World: An interview with W. M. Briggs at Ordeal of Consciousness

Our friend Dover Beach, perhaps after having taken a fall or because he stood too close to Hillary and caught her disease, considered it would be well to interview Yours…

JH on Iran Has Caught Covid: A Reason For The WarApril 10, 2026
Would Trump attack China or Russia? Why not? Bullying is wrong. War is wrong. [H]is specialty is obfuscation… lol. And…
JH on Justice Ketanji RoarsApril 10, 2026
Although I have not taught many Black students, I have observed that the most academically talented Black students perform at…
JH on Proof!April 10, 2026
Lincoln’s ”Fragments on Slavery” c. 1854 If A. can prove, however conclusively, that he may, of right, enslave B.—why may…
Brendan P O'Sullivan on Class 85: Proper Scores of Model GoodnessApril 9, 2026
Bill - An opportunity to help fellow Vets! Look at the following - regarding jet fuel exposure to vets -…
Steve on Proof!April 9, 2026
You don't need a publisher. It's just Godwin's Law in action. For whatever reason, that seals the deal for most…

William M. Briggs

Class 85: Proper Scores of Model Goodness

Proof!

Justice Ketanji Roars

Iran Has Caught Covid: A Reason For The War

Class 84: Most Important Measure of Model Goodness

There Is No Solution To Crashing Fertility: Good Times Made Soft Men

Did The Pope Really Say Health Is A “Right”?

All Models Only Say What They Are Told To Say, And AI Is A Model

It’s The End Of The World Again

Belgian Judge Wants To Arrest Little Nate Cofnast Because Cofnast Says Smart People Are Smarter Than Dumb People

Class 83: Why Were Paul Ehrlich’s Predictions So Good (and so Bad)?

The Great Effeminization of the Academy

The Only Metric That Matters: Or, Pinker’s Folly

Lancet Discovers Public Health Is Politics

Class 82: Be More Uncertain (About Models)

On Not Reading

The Great Smoothing: Another Reason Not To Fear (or trust) AI

A Synchronicity Or Coincidence? What Is Behind Curious Events?

Class 81: The Second Biggest Error In Time Series

The Paper Test Shows Why AGI Is Not Possible: And Why The Brain Is Different In Kind

Researcher Imagines Weather With No Human Influence: Concludes Climate Change Hurts Incomes