Statistics – Page 156 – William M. Briggs

Possibility Versus Probability & Decision

Philip Pilkington, author of the buyable The Reformation in Economics: A Deconstruction and Reconstruction of Economic Theory, asks a follow-up question to the material on the precautionary principle. If probability…

Culture Philosophy Statistics

Video: How To Think About Statistics, Figures, And New Ideas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmMBLTz6Pp8 Hard link to the video. This post ran originally on 28 February 2015. Given the quiet weekend, I postponed our Summa Contra Gentiles until next week. It is a…

Class Statistics

Taleb’s Curious Views On Probability — Part III: Ergodicity & All That

Read Part I, Part II Ergodic in probability has a technical definition. Without going into mathematical details (which are fine except possibly when applied), a "sequence" is defined as a…

Class Statistics

Taleb’s Curious Views On Probability — Part II: Skin in the Game

Read Part I It is in one sense fortunate that the mathematical, or rather quantitative, roots of probability began with gambling. Routine gambles are easy to understand, and the calculations…

Class Philosophy Statistics

Taleb’s Curious Views On Probability — Part I: I Say Probability Does Not Exist

Ye Olde Statistician points us to an essay (a book chapter?) by our old pal Nassim Nicholas Taleb called "The Logic of Risk Taking". Let's examine it. You, dear reader,…

Statistics

Middle Ground Between Precautionary Principle & Inaction

From reader (and listener!) Phil Pilkington (there asterisks are original): Hi Matt, Loved your speech. Hyperskeptical Economist that I am, M Taleb did us some great favours in outlining the…

Statistics

DDP: Quack Cures For What Doesn’t Ail Us, Part II

I'm at the Doctors for Disaster Preparedness meeting in No-History City, Louisiana. Here's Part II of (an earlier draft of) the speech I gave Saturday. Consider donating $1 for every…

Statistics

DDP: Quack Cures For What Doesn’t Ail Us, Part I

I'm at the Doctors for Disaster Preparedness meeting in No-History City, Louisiana. Here's Part I of (an earlier draft of) the speech I gave Saturday. Consider donating $1 for every…

McChuck on Lady Academics Tire Of Being Judged By Peer ReviewSeptember 22, 2026
I have never seen a better example of why women should not be educated beyond the very basics necessary for…
Cary Cotterman on Lady Academics Tire Of Being Judged By Peer ReviewSeptember 21, 2026
Every time I think I've read about an academic paper at the very bottom of the abyss of idiocy, another…
Tars Tarkas on Lady Academics Tire Of Being Judged By Peer ReviewSeptember 21, 2026
"articulating that the checkboxes presume a reviewer who is an objective, disembodied expert untouched by power. " They aren't wrong…
Tars Tarkas on Lady Academics Tire Of Being Judged By Peer ReviewSeptember 21, 2026
Among the many flaws of peer review is the weaponization of peer-review for political purposes. Some academic offends the ladies,…
Neil Jordan on Class 94: Quantifying The UnquantifiableSeptember 17, 2026
At last, an opportunity to join you in the "Quagmire of Marginal Statistics." This and later quote are from memory…