Posted inStatistics
Weapons Make the Man Larger: New Scientific Growth Formula
"Put 'em up, pal!" No, that's not right. Let me try again. "It ain't the size of the man, but the size of the tool he carries." Better, but still…
Posted inCulture Philosophy Statistics
Diversity Is Not Always Desirable Part III
Diversity Is Not Always Desirable Parts I, II, III, IV Race, whether or not it can be successfully defined biologically, is clearly important. People, even the non-sincere, at least act…
Posted inCulture Philosophy
Diversity Is Not Always Desirable: Part II
Diversity Is Not Always Desirable Parts I, II, III, IV Suppose we are not interested in "the best" or the "is qualified" premises and merely seek to stock our organization…
Posted inPhilosophy
Bioengineering Humans To Combat Climate Change
Aren't bioethicists a fun bunch? When last we met this speculative crew, they were wondering whether we should "let baby live", and they were developing a pill to eliminate racism.…
Posted inBook review Philosophy Statistics
There’s An End On’t! Gazzaniga’s Who’s In Charge? Reviewed: Part I
Who's In Charge? Free Will and the Science of the Brain by Michael S. Gazzaniga On the evening of October 10th 1769, in one of his typically curt dismissals of…
Posted inPhilosophy Statistics
The Lady Tasting Tea: Bayes Versus Frequentism; Part I (updated)
Since the subject arose yesterday, and for other reasons which I'll explain later, I thought we should revisit this series, which ran a year ago. I have edited and expanded…
Posted inStatistics
Differences In Brains Between Believers And Atheists?
The following question was posed at the (inaptly named) magazine Scientific American, "Is there a difference between the brain of an atheist and the brain of a religious person?" It…
Posted inStatistics
What A Prediction Is And What It Is Not: Part IV
There is a technical distinction between a scenario and a prediction, though the line is fine and often disputable. Many scenarios are merely intolerably loose, and therefore useless, predictions. The…