William M. Briggs

Why Is Economics Plagued By Math?

The answer is easy: because math is numbers and numbers are measurement and measurements are necessary to make a subject "scientific" in the modern sense of that word. Why should…

Culture

Stream: Doctors Killing Patients And Harvesting Their Organs

Today's post is at The Stream: When Doctors Kill Patients to Harvest Their Organs. "How's your headache, Mr Jones?" "Gettin' worse, doc. Had it off and on all week." "That's…

Culture

This Week In Doom — WMBriggs Podcast 18 May 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-4itd-EsC8 Joseph Umstatt A look back at the past week in the worst that was in aural form, featuring the music of Joseph Umstatt, Antonio Vivaldi, Nicola Fiorenza, and Luigi…

Book review Statistics

Book Update — Uncertainty & Breaking The Law Of Averages

I'll have the page proofs for Uncertainty mid week and I've until 10 June to turn them back in. (I begin teaching on the 13th.) This puts publication in early…

Philosophy Statistics

Quantum Mechanics, Potentiality, Ontology, Epistemology, & Probability

What is and what is known about what is are two concepts which are often entangled, especially in quantum mechanics (puns intentional). This is one of the subjects which I…

Philosophy SAMT

Summary Against Modern Thought: Failed Arguments For The Eternity Of The World I

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. I'm departing…

Fun

Think You Can Simulate A Brain? Think Again

Since is Silly Saturday, a few fun back-of-the-envelope calculations on simulating a brain. I'm drawing from the marvelous, must-read (go do it now) essay "The empty brain: Your brain does…

Statistics

Brits Psychologists Cry “BS!” Over Research Practices. Or, Die P-Value, Die Die Die

In The British Psychological Society's official organ The Psychologist, two gents Tom Farsides and Paul Sparks, call BS on standard research practices. There is a worrying amount of outright fraud…

Richard S. on Black Women Can’t Do Physics As Well As White Men, Says ResearcherDecember 3, 2025
I retrieved and read or skimmed Chanda's piece. Her article scarcely referenced actual counts and statistics, but some of the…
Cary D Cotterman on Academic Proposes Mushrooms To Avoid Compulsory Moral BioenhancementDecember 3, 2025
"...tends to create sensations of selflessness..." No thanks. I need to stay focused on myself. Taking care of my own…
Tars Tarkas on Academic Proposes Mushrooms To Avoid Compulsory Moral BioenhancementDecember 3, 2025
If we are to have to put up with reliving the 1970s, I just hope and pray it's complete with…
Danny on Academic Proposes Mushrooms To Avoid Compulsory Moral BioenhancementDecember 3, 2025
What would make me happy is one of those plaid jackets with suede patches on the elbows,
Brian (bulaoren) on Academic Proposes Mushrooms To Avoid Compulsory Moral BioenhancementDecember 3, 2025
Didn't Aldous Huxley say, in Brave New World, "A dramme is better than a damn"? He was referring to a…

William M. Briggs

Academic Proposes Mushrooms To Avoid Compulsory Moral Bioenhancement

The Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Is Wrong: “Guns” are not the leading cause of death in kids

The Perfect Conspiracy Theory

Old Lodge Skins’ Prayer Of Thanksgiving

The Apples In A Sack Paradox: Solve It Or You Get No Pie Tomorrow

Antichrist, by Saint Robert Bellarmine

Donald vs Ishmael vs Esau — Guest Post by Ianto Watt

Class 72: Most Claims Of “Controlled For” Are Wrong: The Wrong Way

Black Women Can’t Do Physics As Well As White Men, Says Researcher

On That “Bombshell German Study” That “Exposes the PCR Test Fraud That Locked Down the World”

Masking Morality With Science: Men Pretending To Be Women In Sports

Why Study Probability?

The Dysgenics Of IVF

In Which An Atheist Becomes Sputteringly Angry Over Theist’s Argument

Academics Debate Which Term Best Describes Those Who Love (in that way) Their Pillows

Class 71: Never Trust ‘Research Shows’ Headlines: We Bring Cause To Data

Diversity Patrol Scanning Citations For Victims

Little Nate’s Plan To Save The World

Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education Causes Mass Squealing

Stay The Course: Have Some Class

Last Call For Alcohol-Cancer Papers