Posted inPhilosophy Statistics
Bad Ways Of Speaking About Truth
Easy It is true that all men are mortal. It is also true that 2 + 3 = 5. Yet it is not "true" that all men are mortal, nor…
Posted inStatistics
Regression To The Mean (And Performance Curses) Simply Explained
I've just read about The Second Term Curse which supposedly besets (of course) second-term presidents. There is also the infamous Sports Illustrated Curse, which is said to befall athletes soon…
Posted inStatistics
Sam Harris Asks, “Can Science Answer Moral Questions?” No, Sam, It Cannot
I was having a back-and-forth on Twitter with Craig Mazin â€(@clmazin) about Sam Harris's claim that morality is a scientific and not a metaphysical question. As evidence, Mazin pointed me…
Posted inCulture Statistics
The Horrors And Hurt Feelings Of Profiling
"Ver are your papers!" "Um. Hang on. I'm sure I have them on me. Wait. Here," said the man, handing them over. The clerk examined them closely. He arched his…
Posted inPhilosophy Statistics
Life Isn’t Fair: Part III
We are at the position where somebody thinks a rule, law, or stricture, or the lack of the same, is fair or unfair. The justification for this belief must (eventually)…
Posted inStatistics
Supreme Court And Proposition 8: A Few Thoughts
One of the more curious tidbits to arise out of yesterday's oral arguments (pdf) over California's Prop 8 was that that state's constitution has been amended some 500 times. Those…
Posted inCulture Statistics
The Regnerus Controversy: Children In Traditional Families Do Better Than Those Raised In Non-Traditional Settings
Originally published 24 July 2012. No changes have been made, though I'm sorely tempted to comment on the weeds descending from Regnerus's chin. Doubtless the nastiest phenomenon in nature is…
Posted inStatistics
A New Row Over Pregnancy Caused by Rape
Today's post is at Crisis Magazine. Why are the following questions political? How often do raped women become pregnant because of the rape? How often do (non-raped) women become pregnant…