Posted inPhilosophy
Science? What’s That?
Definition Science is the measurement of quantifiable things. That which is not measurable is not science. Causality and morality and consciousness and so on are not measurable and therefore are…
Posted inBook review Statistics
The Moral Case For Fossil Fuels Reviewed
People first Just in time for the Federally-Recognized-Holiday-Of-25-December-That-Shall-Go-Unnamed we have a suitable gift for science deniers everywhere. Alex Epstein's The Moral Case For Fossil Fuels Science deniers? Yes, sir. Those…
Posted inPhilosophy Statistics
The Biggest Error In Regression
I know, I know: we're sick to death of regression, but we have to cover the biggest error, which is how the Deadly Sin of Reification happens. You have a…
Posted inCulture Statistics
A New Possible Solution Of Fermi’s Paradox
What is the probability the following proposition is true? ``There are rational beings other than humans in the universe." Well, given the evidence of angels, who are rational non-human beings,…
Posted inCulture
Teaching Comes First. But Only If You Bring In Grants. And Publish
Since it's teaching time, via Nick B Steves via Bruce Charlton comes this reminiscence of Oxford in the 1970s. In the 70s it was still possible for a distinguished head…
Posted inStatistics
Regression Isn’t What You Think
We've done regression a hundred times, but it isn't sticking. That means my explanations are failing. Let me try again. Everybody knows normal distributions, i.e. bell-shaped curves: in shorthand N(m,s),…
Posted inStatistics
On The Kaya Identity
A reader asked about my take on the Kaya wars that are flaming at Anthony Watts's place. Here is the form of the Kaya Identity, which is to say, the…
Posted inStatistics
Every Family Has Children Until They Have A Boy: Probability Stumper
Reader Bryan Davies quoted a poser from Math Overflow (have we heard of that?) which read: In a country in which people only want boys every family continues to have…
