2019 – Page 36 – William M. Briggs

Summary Against Modern Thought: Divine Providence Does Not Exclude Evil

Previous post. In which the age-old question is answered: If God exists, whence comes evil? THAT DIVINE PROVIDENCE DOES NOT ENTIRELY EXCLUDE EVIL FROM THINGS 1 Now, from these conclusions…

Culture

The Week In Doom — We Are All Seattle Now Edition

Item KOMO News Special Seattle is Dying KOMO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b53uiRFq4Ds If you were at all sanguine about the future, I beg you will watch this video. Item Inside the online community…

Philosophy Statistics

A Failed Argument Against Free Will: Predicting Actions

It is always hilarious when people rail against free will, who are especially flummoxed that Common Man believes in free will, and say "If only people realized their choices weren't…

Statistics

Death Blow To Statistical Significance! — Bonus: Here’s The Replacement

Don't miss the Nature article below! (I stole the graphic from it.) Am Stat Here are the opening lines from a press release (unfortunately sounding like every other press release…

Statistics

There Are No Such Thing As Gays (Or Transexuals)

Yours Truly is a statistician; indeed, the Statistician to the Stars! I call myself that because I perform probability analyses for money (and only for the best people). Yet I…

Philosophy

The Power To Kill Without Detection

Suppose you discover a device which allows you to kill those whom you would. The device's "batteries" never run out; it will always work and never disappoint. The device is…

Philosophy Statistics

On True And False Theories

What makes a theory true? Bad question, that. Conflates too easily why a theory is true with our knowledge whether a theory is true. Both are subjects of great interest,…

Philosophy SAMT

Summary Against Modern Thought: God And Natural Effects

Previous post. This week we learn God doesn't have to do all the work, as it were. HOW THE SAME EFFECT IS FROM GOD AND FROM A NATURAL AGENT 1…

Briggs on On The Form Of Species: ‘Dance To The Tune Of Life’ by Denis Noble ReviewedDecember 17, 2025
Rhetocrates, Quite right.
Rhetocrates on On The Form Of Species: ‘Dance To The Tune Of Life’ by Denis Noble ReviewedDecember 16, 2025
I haven't finished the whole thing, but I'd like to flag one thing that may cause confusion to readers, though…
John Pate on On The Form Of Species: ‘Dance To The Tune Of Life’ by Denis Noble ReviewedDecember 16, 2025
Referring to my previous comment, it's nature via nurture. In any complex system transferring the plans to the finished item…
NLR on On The Form Of Species: ‘Dance To The Tune Of Life’ by Denis Noble ReviewedDecember 16, 2025
It sounds like Noble has some good points. People are increasingly recognizing problems with reductionism. For instance, saying that things…
Bobby Dress on How To Tell How Much Of “IQ” Is Inherited & How Much Is EnvironmentDecember 15, 2025
I’m fairly certain that obtaining my degree from Cornell had the unintended consequence of lowering whatever theoretical IQ I might…