August 2009 – Page 2 – William M. Briggs

Fads and Fallacies in the Social Sciences by Steven Goldberg: Part II

Part I We now discuss the first two of Goldberg's main claims. Both of them are contentious, are bitterly contested, and passion inducing. Try to keep a cool head; certainly…

Book review Culture

Fads and Fallacies in the Social Sciences by Steven Goldberg: Part I

Fads and Fallacies in the Social Sciences by Steven Goldberg Recommendation: Buy one copy for yourself, another for mother. If Sally is over six feet tall and Bill is over…

Statistics

DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: III of III

Part I Part II PDF DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: I of III Part III of III The climb was steep at times, but I managed to haul my carcass to the…

Statistics

DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: II of III

Part I Part III PDF DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: Part II of III Now before you accuse me of anything, I like ballet. Not to watch it, that's as dull as…

Statistics

DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: I of III

In celebration of my having work, I present something that requires no thinking (on my part). Part II Part III PDF DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS Part I of III Kick...two,…

Statistics

At ASA/ISM Joint Statistical Meetings

Link. Watch this space for stories. (Updates to comments on other posts will be slow.) Update: Tuesday night. This story, sent in by Jim D., is a must read. Statistical…

Culture

The Sad Decline in Music: Benny Goodman vs. House Music

Part I: Cole Porter vs. The Beatles Part II: Billy Strayhorn vs. Drake I apologize for the slowness in the appearance of this third battle, but I have just been…

Philosophy Statistics

Models, theories, consistency, and truth

Ready? Put on your best straight face, recall that global temperatures have not increased for a decade, and that it's actually been getting cooler, then repeat with Brenda Ekwurzel, of…

Brian (bulaoren) on All Models Only Say What They Are Told To Say, And AI Is A ModelMarch 27, 2026
Logic, empiricism, wisdom... These solvents are without impact for people who have, so often, survived them. I believe this is…
spetzer86 on All Models Only Say What They Are Told To Say, And AI Is A ModelMarch 27, 2026
It's interesting that the commenters using AI prove the point that the use of a model yielding apparently random results…
JH on All Models Only Say What They Are Told To Say, And AI Is A ModelMarch 27, 2026
When brilliant minds join forces with advanced computers that execute tasks with precision and speed by following instructions, they achieve…
fergus on All Models Only Say What They Are Told To Say, And AI Is A ModelMarch 27, 2026
Post script. Looks like you are hiding well, for now, from the AI in the sky. I asked it if…
fergus on All Models Only Say What They Are Told To Say, And AI Is A ModelMarch 27, 2026
Did not read the article, just copy/pasted the number list to ChatGPT and it got right back with: Yes —…