William M. Briggs

Is There Free Will? A Conversation With Dr. Sam Hurtus

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1MbL6wbg1Y&w=560&h=315] I got the idea for this from regular reader Jim Fedako, who points us to a cute video showing the screwiness of p-values. Turns out the video was…

Statistics

Anthropogenic Forcing Signals Not Significant? New Polynomial Cointegration Test Paper

I have been asked by a number of people to comment on a new paper that purportedly shows that "statistical tests for global warming fails to find statistically significantly anthropogenic…

Culture

Review and Comments on Anna Karenina—Guest Post by the Blonde Bombshell

The movie itself is quite enjoyable. The opening is a little jarring, as the movie mixes "stage" settings with "movie" settings. The characters will march across the stage or climb…

Philosophy Statistics

Precaution: Part II—Guest Post by J.C. Hanekamp

For all the flurry surrounding precaution---being portrayed as a decisional/procedural instrument to protect human and environmental health from the (potential) dangers of human activities---the history shows that we are dealing…

Culture Philosophy

The HHS Mandate & Hobby Lobby: Updated

I'm a little late with this; pressures of work. Nevertheless, it's Hobby Lobby appreciation day. Open letter from CEO. One day the department of Health and Human Services sat in…

Culture Philosophy

Who Is A Mother When Same-Sex “Marriage” Arrives?

A headline in the 2 January 2013 The Telegraph ran: First baby born in France in 2013 has two mothers The story informs us the birth mother is named Maude,…

Philosophy Statistics

Precaution: Part I — Guest Post by J.C. Hanekamp

The can things with the sharp little edges That can cut your fingers when you're not looking The soft little things on the floor that you step on They can…

Culture Fun

American Atheists, Hispanic Division Sues Federal Government Over Documents

The American Atheists have once again filed suit, this time against the Federal Government over its use of the Spanish language in official documents. The litigious group has previously sued…

Uncle Mike on Did The Pope Really Say Health Is A “Right”?March 30, 2026
There have been many bad popes, but also many wonderful ones. Pope Saint John Paul II was, well, saintly. His…
Brian (bulaoren) on Did The Pope Really Say Health Is A “Right”?March 30, 2026
If our rights derive from God, and if the pope is God's primary interlocutor (Pontifax Maximus) can we sue the…
Robert Arvanitis on Did The Pope Really Say Health Is A “Right”?March 30, 2026
You are correct in one point. The American enterprise, unlike all previous societies, is for all Men. Not based on…
Brian (bulaoren) on All Models Only Say What They Are Told To Say, And AI Is A ModelMarch 27, 2026
Logic, empiricism, wisdom... These solvents are without impact for people who have, so often, survived them. I believe this is…
spetzer86 on All Models Only Say What They Are Told To Say, And AI Is A ModelMarch 27, 2026
It's interesting that the commenters using AI prove the point that the use of a model yielding apparently random results…

William M. Briggs

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

Faith Deposited: Why Godless Science Fails

Class 80: Granger Causality; Per Se & Accidental Time Series; Stationarity

Scientists Seeking To Escape Criticism Run To The Warmth & Comfort Of Bluesky

The Loss of Ephemera — Guest Post by The Blonde Bombshell

Class 79: Time Series Example

The Importance Of Not Making Decisions