William M. Briggs

Bioengineering Humans To Combat Climate Change

Aren't bioethicists a fun bunch? When last we met this speculative crew, they were wondering whether we should "let baby live", and they were developing a pill to eliminate racism.…

Culture

My Failure To Purchase Something In The Market Subjects Me To Regulation

The title words were spoken to Solicitor General Verrilli by Justice Scalia in yesterday's oral arguments. Scalia was making the obvious point that because he might not buy a thing…

Book review Philosophy

The Universe Created From Nothing Says Lawrence Krauss

This fragment of conversation was reported to me by a reliable witness. It occurred between a gentlemen we will call "Daffy" and Lawrence M. Krauss upon the occasion of the…

Culture

Supreme Court To Check The Doctrine Of Unintended Consequences?

This country, like all other countries, has at times lost its mind. But this country, again like all others, since it is constituted differently than the others, goes insane in…

Culture

Why You Don’t Want Free Health Care: Supreme Court Hears Arguments On Obamacare

Our reading today is from the Constitution, first Act, eighth Section, third Clause: [The Congress shall have Power] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and…

Philosophy Statistics

Bayes Theorem Proves Jesus Existed And Didn’t Exist

In his shockingly neglected, A Treatise on Probability John Maynard Keynes put his finger on the difficulty people have with probability, particularly Bayes's Theorem: No other formula in the alchemy…

Culture Philosophy

Experts Say People Aren’t Smart Enough

Public Policy Polling's Tom Jensen said recently, "The first lesson you learn as a pollster is that people are stupid." Jensen represents a common attitude among media denizens that ordinary…

Fun Statistics

Global Warming Feedback Confirmed!

Just some gentle teasing today. Every climate scientist knows that it's the feedback that counts, that the few squirts of carbon dioxide contributed to the atmosphere are powerless in isolation.…

Brian (bulaoren) on The Court’s Slow Theft Of The Constitution — Guest Post by Ianto WattJuly 6, 2026
Sorry folks, my 1st comment today seems to have been lost in the ether. The Howard Johnson's reference makes no…
Steve on The Court’s Slow Theft Of The Constitution — Guest Post by Ianto WattJuly 6, 2026
I wondered the same thing, Cloudbuster. What I understand of the case is even worse -- John Marshall himself was…
Brian ( bulaoren) on The Court’s Slow Theft Of The Constitution — Guest Post by Ianto WattJuly 6, 2026
Yeah, I know; Howard Johnson's is defunct, like our constitution (?).
Brian (bulauren) on The Court’s Slow Theft Of The Constitution — Guest Post by Ianto WattJuly 6, 2026
If an absent voter's mail-in ballot is received after the date of the election but postmarked earlier, is it counted?…
Ray on Math Is Epistemic Violence, Says Lady AcademicJuly 6, 2026
This book looks like a wonderful example of the old saying, if you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle…

William M. Briggs

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?

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

SOON

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

Bioengineering Humans To Combat Climate Change

My Failure To Purchase Something In The Market Subjects Me To Regulation

The Universe Created From Nothing Says Lawrence Krauss

Supreme Court To Check The Doctrine Of Unintended Consequences?

Why You Don’t Want Free Health Care: Supreme Court Hears Arguments On Obamacare

Bayes Theorem Proves Jesus Existed And Didn’t Exist

Experts Say People Aren’t Smart Enough

Global Warming Feedback Confirmed!

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