William M. Briggs

Realism vs. Anti-Realism III: The anti-realist response — Guest Post by G. Rodrigues

We have no space to follow St. Thomas through all these negative heresies; but a word must be said about Nominalism or the doubt founded on the things that differ.…

Statistics

Eating Chocolate Increases Chance Of Nobel Prize, P< 0.05

Yesterday, those noble Nobel fellows, the same committee that honored President Obama---what was it? six, seven days after he assumed office?---, gave this year's Peace Prize to the European Union.…

Philosophy

Realism vs. Anti-Realism II: The realist challenge — Guest Post by G. Rodrigues

The one who will not work fits what is written about the virgins of Israel: he gives birth to wind -- but the one who will work gives birth to…

Culture Philosophy

The Year Of Faith: What Strange Things People Believe

What better way to start the Year of Faith than with this headline: Experts: Global warming means more Antarctic ice This was atop an article penned Seth Borenstein, who noticed…

Statistics

The Future of Scientific Publications: Abandon Journals?

It took three years--or was it four?---for a paper I submitted to the august journal Annals of Statistics to wend its way through peer review. When it came back to…

Philosophy

Realism vs. Anti-Realism I: Introduction — Guest Post by G. Rodrigues

The miracle of the appropriateness of the language of mathematics for the formulation of the laws of physics is a wonderful gift which we neither understand nor deserve. We should…

Book review Philosophy

Caring Is Killing Us: What’s Wrong With Benevolence by David Stove

This review ran last August, but because of pressures of work and the relevance this important book has to our upcoming elections, it's time for another look. Regular posts resume…

Statistics

Debate Thread: “Where Was This Romney Before?” Always There

Chris Matthews looked as though he saw the men with the nets coming for him, the tingles evidently having traveled from his leg and lodging in his frontal cortex. An…

C-Marie on The Ultimate IQ Test: Guessing the Author’s Mind and Escaping the Infinity of AnswersJune 8, 2026
Very fun, Matt!! God bless, C-Marie
Philip Rogan on The Ultimate IQ Test: Guessing the Author’s Mind and Escaping the Infinity of AnswersJune 8, 2026
May be showing my lack of IQ: 2 + 2 = 4; 4 x 2 = 8. 5 + 5…
NLR on The Ultimate IQ Test: Guessing the Author’s Mind and Escaping the Infinity of AnswersJune 8, 2026
You explained the point clearly, that any question involves assumptions about its meaning and how it should be answered. If…
Cary D Cotterman on The Ultimate IQ Test: Guessing the Author’s Mind and Escaping the Infinity of AnswersJune 8, 2026
In the absence of knowing if the author intended some more complex formula, and what it might be, the simplest…
Brian (bulaoren) on The Ultimate IQ Test: Guessing the Author’s Mind and Escaping the Infinity of AnswersJune 8, 2026
72! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! I think that puzzle would have been more legitimate if the…

William M. Briggs

The Ultimate IQ Test: Guessing the Author’s Mind and Escaping the Infinity of Answers

Reader Poll: Shorter or Longer, Frequent or Rarer Posts?

No Model Will Save Us: Pope Leo, the Miserostat, and AI’s Woke Coders

How High an IQ Must A Person Have To Be Executed?

Class 90: Simple (Optimal) Decisions

Shocking Abortion Numbers: Death Distributions Show We’re Living Longer

Blessed Memorial Day; No Class; See You Wednesday

Why There Are (Probably) No UFOs: “Climate Change”

Creating Microbial Monsters To Terrorize Ourselves

Class 89: The Measure Most Modelers Forget: Skill Examples

The Shocking Conclusion of the HR Trilemma!

The HR Trilemma: Which Door Decides Your Fate?

Capital Punishment Deters Crime More Than The Death Penalty

How Experts Use “Calamities” to Find Official Victims & Gain Power

Richard Dawkins, The Big Muscles Fallacy & AI Pachinko

Class 88: The Most Neglected Concept: Skill

The Red-Blue Button Dilemma & Its Surprising Answer

UFO Reports About To Blast Off!

Class 87: Calibration & Conformal Prediction: Examples

Noticing Differences Between Races Does Not Pay

What Are The Chances Of All These Scientists Dying, Killed, Or Going Missing?

The Ultimate IQ Test: Guessing the Author’s Mind and Escaping the Infinity of Answers

Reader Poll: Shorter or Longer, Frequent or Rarer Posts?

Realism vs. Anti-Realism III: The anti-realist response — Guest Post by G. Rodrigues

Eating Chocolate Increases Chance Of Nobel Prize, P< 0.05

Realism vs. Anti-Realism II: The realist challenge — Guest Post by G. Rodrigues

The Year Of Faith: What Strange Things People Believe

The Future of Scientific Publications: Abandon Journals?

Realism vs. Anti-Realism I: Introduction — Guest Post by G. Rodrigues

Caring Is Killing Us: What’s Wrong With Benevolence by David Stove

Debate Thread: “Where Was This Romney Before?” Always There

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