William M. Briggs

The Dire And Depressing Implications Of Science As Scientism: Two Introductions

A long introduction... Scientism is the fallacy that all that is known and all that can be known, can only be known through scientific methods: that which is testable is…

Culture Statistics

Why Republicans Deny Science—And Reality: Request For Help

Update The link to Sam Harris's abysmal study are now provided. That is the (modified) subtitle of the sanctimoniously self-satisfied Chris Mooney's new book, "The Republican Brain: The Science of…

Fun

Leon Panetta Unleashes U.S. Army To Battle Carbon Dioxide

"Sir!" The lieutenant, clearly agitated, rushed into the staff room and snapped to attention. "What is it, Mann? What's the word from the field?" asked the general. "We're surrounded, sir!"…

Statistics

Statistics Proves Same Drug Both Causes And Does Not Cause Same Cancer

No, the title of today's post is not a joke, even though it has often been used that way in the past. The title was inspired by yesterday's Wall Street…

Statistics

Atheists More Motivated By Compassion Than The Faithful?

Why? (Source) Today's title was swiped, word-for-word, from a Live Science press release. This is important because the point I wish to make has to do with how the press…

Statistics

Academic Pscyhologists Over-Rely On WEIRD People: Overconfidence Results

It was just over a month ago that tears of joy came to my eyes while reading an academic paper. This was Simmons et alia's "False-Positive Psychology : Undisclosed Flexibility…

Culture Statistics

The Times Weighs In On The Side Of Wayward Nuns

Nicholas D. Kristof is a good polemicist. In his 28 April 2011 piece "We Are All Nuns" he manages to hide and eventually evade the main argument against him via…

Statistics

More Analytical Thinkers Are Atheists: Study

Analytical thinking in action (source) Somebody some enterprising young academic, not realizing he should keep his mouth shut before attaining tenure, will publish a study which examines the bizarraries found…

Willis Eschenbach on Caution Against The Precautionary Principle: Interview with Jaap HanekampJuly 23, 2026
Thanks as always, Matt. I'd be interested in your (or anyone's) comments on my post below about the Precautionary Principle.…
Steve on $7.11 at 7:11 PM on 7/11 at 7/11: What Are The Chances?July 23, 2026
Add a few more priors and the odds skyrocket. 7/11 knew about the July 11 thing -- it says right…
Tars Tarkas on $7.11 at 7:11 PM on 7/11 at 7/11: What Are The Chances?July 23, 2026
If you can, can you do the example of the Hooker Chemical Love Canal allegedly random cancer cluster in children?…
Tim on Caution Against The Precautionary Principle: Interview with Jaap HanekampJuly 23, 2026
I enjoyed this discussion. I am very interested in hearing you gentlemen continue discussing nitrogen.
John Pate on Caution Against The Precautionary Principle: Interview with Jaap HanekampJuly 22, 2026
Considering "climate change" went out the window when the powers that be wanted more data centres I'm sure the Precautionary…

William M. Briggs

$7.11 at 7:11 PM on 7/11 at 7/11: What Are The Chances?

Caution Against The Precautionary Principle: Interview with Jaap Hanekamp

Believing In God Makes You Crave Potato Chips, Say Academics

Hume’s Guillotine, Euclid’s Catapult: Induction, Axioms, and Objective Ethics

University of California Prof Tries To Save System From DIEing

The Equality Paradox

My Horrible Interaction With AI

SOON

The Court’s Slow Theft Of The Constitution — Guest Post by Ianto Watt

Happy Birthday to US

Never Use Or Trust P-values (Pagan-Values)

Musk Doges Deaths: Researchers Say USAID Absence Kills Kills Kills!

The Intellectual Capacity Of Women by David Stove

Marbles!

Class 92: Simple Optimal Decisions: PSA & Cancer Example

Math Is Epistemic Violence, Says Lady Academic

Truly Random Numbers Found?

Class 91: Try Not To Use the ROC Curve & AUC

Climate Change Increases Risk of Even Slower World Cup Games!

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

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

$7.11 at 7:11 PM on 7/11 at 7/11: What Are The Chances?

Caution Against The Precautionary Principle: Interview with Jaap Hanekamp

The Dire And Depressing Implications Of Science As Scientism: Two Introductions

Why Republicans Deny Science—And Reality: Request For Help

Leon Panetta Unleashes U.S. Army To Battle Carbon Dioxide

Statistics Proves Same Drug Both Causes And Does Not Cause Same Cancer

Atheists More Motivated By Compassion Than The Faithful?

Academic Pscyhologists Over-Rely On WEIRD People: Overconfidence Results

The Times Weighs In On The Side Of Wayward Nuns

More Analytical Thinkers Are Atheists: Study

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