Briggs

Belloc On The Limited Intelligence Of Scientists

From Hilaire Belloc's Richelieu, J.B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia & Londen, 1929, p. 23, in the context of disproving the social theory of historical events, i.e. the one which claims individuals…

Book review Philosophy

Our Brains Are Not Us: Review of Brainwashed

My nomination for Worst Use of Inference in a Scientific Paper (2009) is "The neural correlates of religious and nonreligious belief" by brain scientist cum philosopher Sam Harris and colleagues.…

Statistics

The Epidemiologist Fallacy Strikes Again. EPA, CARB, And Air Pollution

Here is an email I received from Jim Enstrom of the Scientific Integrity Institute (modified to embed the links; incidentally, CARB is the California Air Resources Board, a source of…

Culture

What’s Happening Between Russia And The Church?

No, really. I'm asking. I don't know but would like to. Something's brewing, or perhaps has already brewed. Consider these points: Item Patriarch Kirill "warned Western governments on Sunday against…

Statistics

Rise In Violence Linked To Poor Statistics. Or Climate Change

Welcome Der Spiegel readers. See also this post. The computer revolution has been as bloody, wrenching, and disruptive as any other conflict. But unlike in territorial wars where there are…

Philosophy

We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, Researchers

Blockbuster science headline of last week was "Neuroscientists plant false memories in the brain." The whetted some intellects---if intellects can be whetted---and caused others to tizzy. Philip Dick turned out…

Fun

Young Writer (Not Me) Seeks Employment

Ladies and Gentlemen---and you, too, Fran---may I introduce William J. Briggs, my number one son. Note the "J": he's named after my father, not myself. I call him James, but…

Culture

XKeyscore: Too Early For I Told You So?

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety, unless they're scared of terrorists, and then it's okay---Benjamin Franklin So the…

hudbwu on The Loss of Ephemera — Guest Post by The Blonde BombshellFebruary 25, 2026
P.S. And don't for a moment think we've escaped from the crutches of oblivion that ate all those books! A…
hudbwu on The Loss of Ephemera — Guest Post by The Blonde BombshellFebruary 25, 2026
Here's a video that talks about all the books you will never, ever read. Watch and weep. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcb2oLSb7Cs
Johnno on Scientists Seeking To Escape Criticism Run To The Warmth & Comfort Of BlueskyFebruary 24, 2026
Not only must we Follow THE SCIENCE (tm), but we must LIKE and hit the Notification Bell to be updated…
Johnno on The Loss of Ephemera — Guest Post by The Blonde BombshellFebruary 24, 2026
NLR - My favorite pet peeve are restaurants where there are no printed menus, just QR codes to the menu…
Johnno on The Loss of Ephemera — Guest Post by The Blonde BombshellFebruary 24, 2026
The plan is for an EMP to destroy everything and leave a convenient gap in the years between 2000 and…