Statistics – Page 242 – William M. Briggs

Good Ways Of Speaking About Truth

"Quid est veritas?" Pilate asked. Famously, his interlocutor did not answer, perhaps because Pilate didn't give Him the chance. Then Pilate may have been (understandably) addled because the Answer was…

Philosophy 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…

Statistics

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…

Statistics

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…

Culture 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…

Philosophy 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)…

Statistics

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…

Culture 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…

Cary Cotterman on Reading Bryan Johnson’s The Immortalism ManifestoOctober 26, 2026
I'm probably going to croak sometime within the next twenty years, but at least I have the pleasure of being…
Tars Tarkas on Reading Bryan Johnson’s The Immortalism ManifestoOctober 26, 2026
There are thousand year old machines in England still capable of running, though not in general use. I saw a…
NLR on Reading Bryan Johnson’s The Immortalism ManifestoOctober 26, 2026
All of this is vast speculation. Is it possible for people to live much longer, hundreds of years? Maybe so.…
John Pate on Class 98: Limitations of Genetic Associations With PersonalityOctober 23, 2026
The plasticity available in the brain and CNS is the confounding factor. Nature via nurture. What actually gets expressed is…
Brian (bulaoren) on Class 98: Limitations of Genetic Associations With PersonalityOctober 22, 2026
Across the world, many jurisdictions ban pet "pit bulls". Are they in error?