Philosophy – Page 103 – William M. Briggs

Bioethicist Calls Unborn “Innocent Aggressors”

Introduction This was originally written very badly and in the wrong spirit. I beg the reader's forgiveness. It is now better but still imperfect. Charles C. Camosy1 is a bioethicist---Yours…

Culture Philosophy Statistics

That IQ And Atheism Study

A lovely, but not at all unexpected conceit, held firmly by a certain sort of atheist, is that he has based his non-belief on his superior intelligence. He quotes, "A…

Culture Philosophy

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.…

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…

Philosophy

C.S. Lewis On The Validity of Reasoning

From Miracles (Touchstone edition, 1996, pp 23-24; original 1947): All possible knowledge, then, depends on the validity of reasoning. If the feeling of certainty which we express by words like…

Philosophy Statistics

More On True Models And Predictive Inference

Not all models are false. So much we have discussed before. To say a model is false is to show that one of the premises which comprise the model is…

Philosophy Statistics

There Is No Such Thing As Unconditional Probability: Update

I am awarding a Briggs Internet Prize---the coveted BIP---for anybody who can demonstrate even one instance of a probability which is unconditional on any evidence whatsoever. The prize will not…

Paul Murphy on The Nuances and Challenges of Federal Funding for Research — Guest Post by An AcademicMay 14, 2025
Wow, what is that the naive outsider's view? In reality: 1 - you don't get tenure unless your name is…
cdquarles on The Nuances and Challenges of Federal Funding for Research — Guest Post by An AcademicMay 14, 2025
It is laughable that the premise that "commercial" funding of research is corrupting, but government funding isn't. What was that…
cdquarles on Eggs and ‘PFAS-Easter’ or Selling Fear on the Day of Resurrection — Guest Post by Jaap HanekampMay 14, 2025
Bingo, SSG Briggs. List for me, in order of mass with the most mass first, all of the chemicals in…
hudbwu on Academics Call Pregnancy A DiseaseMay 13, 2025
A moment of silence for all the pain and suffering Briggs endured to bring us this comedic piece. Trully, greatest…
hudbwu on Eggs and ‘PFAS-Easter’ or Selling Fear on the Day of Resurrection — Guest Post by Jaap HanekampMay 13, 2025
I would have preferred if the dosage for the toxins in rats were expressed in the same units as the…