William M. Briggs

Can A Scientist Believe In Miracles? — Guest Post by Bob Kurland

Visit Kurland's site for more. "Miracles always relate to the faith. That is why a belief in miracles is not a vacation from reason, a little holiday from the tedious…

Statistics

Another Drake Equation Paper Shows Why Drake Always Fails

We've seen the Drake equation in many forms, none of them very impressive. They all share the same failing, as we'll see. Two fellows, Frank and Sullivan, have another go.…

Podcast

You—Yes, You—Are Doing Probability & Statistics Wrong — Podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rNCoSp8w9I Download MP3 Fellow users of probability, statistics, and computer "learning" algorithms, physics and social science modelers, big data wranglers, philosophers of science, epistemologists; other respected citizens. We're doing it…

Statistics

The Gambler’s Fallacy Proves Classical Statistics (Frequentist & Bayes) Fails

Everybody who's anybody---which makes, as we'll see, a lot of nobodies---knows the gambler's fallacy. Gambler watches the roulette wheel come up red six times running and says to himself, "Black…

Culture

Pride In Objectively Disordered Sexual Desires?

https://twitter.com/NYPD34Pct/status/747135422459940864 Yesterday was "Pride" day. Pride. Pride? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart. No, surely not that kind of pride. Pride goeth before destruction, and an…

Philosophy SAMT

Summary Against Modern Thought: Good And Evil Aren’t Wholly Opposites

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. We're deep…

Culture

Brexit: A Decision By A Democracy

Picture from here (somehow the Twitter embedding didn't work). So, Brexit. A democracy has spoken. The will of the people being sovereign, or so says the theory which all love…

Culture

Britain Free. France, Texas Next? Brexit Open Thread

https://twitter.com/Outsideness/status/746172629166391296 Last day of class. Your regular broadcast resumes tomorrow. Wales and England, except in the metropolitan areas (surprise), said Leave and Scotland and Northern Ireland said Remain. With the…

Philip Rogan on Irrational Rationalists: Effective Altruists & The Planet of the AntsSeptember 29, 2026
Effective Altruism is something else I've never hard of but apparently has been infecting academic circles for decades. I took…
John M on Irrational Rationalists: Effective Altruists & The Planet of the AntsSeptember 29, 2026
Thanks for reminding me of that classic Klingon joke!
Rob Potter on Irrational Rationalists: Effective Altruists & The Planet of the AntsSeptember 29, 2026
Asimov's robot stories are the best example that an artificial intelligence is not intelligence. They were a fabulous way for…
John Pate on Irrational Rationalists: Effective Altruists & The Planet of the AntsSeptember 28, 2026
We should all re-read our Ted Kaczynski materials. A man ahead of his time.
Brian (bulaoren) on Irrational Rationalists: Effective Altruists & The Planet of the AntsSeptember 28, 2026
While in university, I took a class called "Symbolic Logic". Logic was then taught through the Philosophy department, which was…

William M. Briggs

Academics Call For The Killing Of Babies In “After-Birth” Abortions

Irrational Rationalists: Effective Altruists & The Planet of the Ants

Class 95: Answering P-Value Good Uses Challenges

Whoring For Climate Change

Lady Academics Tire Of Being Judged By Peer Review

Class 94: Quantifying The Unquantifiable

PFAS and Preservatives: Entrenching Chemophobia through Everyday Stuff — Guest Post by Jaap Hanekamp

The MRS Degree — Guest Post by Johnathan Edwards

Politicians Demand “Right” To Be Protected Against AI

Class 93: P-values Challenge! List The “Good Uses” of P-value

Is the West Dying Out? The Demographic Crisis Explained: Jon Harris Podcast

Lindsay Clancy Strangled Her Kids Because Of “Climate Change”

Do Dogs Poop In Alignment With The Earth’s Magnetic Field?

Lewontin’s Other Fallacy: Race & Intelligence

Fertility Fears Overblown: Tiny Shift in Childless Rate Saves The Species

A New Kind Of University: Your Comments Wanted

Bad Black Health Blamed On Slavery

Is Moral Certainty Possible?

We Passed Peak “Climate Change” (um) Research

Sweet Wee Ps Say Sugar Makes You Lose Your Mind

AI Is Neither Artificial Nor Intelligent

Academics Call For The Killing Of Babies In “After-Birth” Abortions

Irrational Rationalists: Effective Altruists & The Planet of the Ants

Can A Scientist Believe In Miracles? — Guest Post by Bob Kurland

Another Drake Equation Paper Shows Why Drake Always Fails

You—Yes, You—Are Doing Probability & Statistics Wrong — Podcast

The Gambler’s Fallacy Proves Classical Statistics (Frequentist & Bayes) Fails

Pride In Objectively Disordered Sexual Desires?

Summary Against Modern Thought: Good And Evil Aren’t Wholly Opposites

Brexit: A Decision By A Democracy

Britain Free. France, Texas Next? Brexit Open Thread

There Is No Culture Without Inequality: Stove 1

Impose Your Beliefs Before They Impose Theirs

Telekinesis: Ideas In Our Reenchantment & Rectification

The Physics Of Blessings: Ideas In Our Reenchantment & Rectification