William M. Briggs

Physical Probability Doesn’t Exist

There have been many attempts to tie probability to physical chance. Here, briefly and for discussion, is why I think all of them fail. Ontology does not recapitulate epistemology Let…

Book review Philosophy

True Reason: Confronting the Irrationality of the New Atheism Reviewed

Answer me honestly. How rational is it to believe any of the following: Science can explain everything, even itself; The reason anything exists is because of the laws of gravity,…

Culture

Trigger Warnings And The Feminismization Of America

Update New & Improved title! I think it was Clint Eastwood who, as Dirty Harry, gave the world's most famous trigger warning: I know what you're thinking: "Did he fire…

Culture

Global Warming Update: Titanic Sunk! Contest Update: Other Historical Events. Update: Not Me!

Been a while since I looked out the climate window, because why? Because I figured there'd be nothing to see. After two decades of failed forecasts I assumed most modelers…

Culture Philosophy

Animals Suing People, People Suing Animals: Lawyers Rejoice

An increasing crime rate Regular readers will know both of my deep interest in animal rights and in the law. This is why, as a side business, but always pro…

Culture

Punishment Of Pre-Thoughtcrime On The Rise: You Could Be Next

Certain Canadians have been tried, convicted, and sentenced for pre-thoughtcrime. Bound to have happened, you will say, especially given events such as the howling drooling hate-filled mob that terrorized Brandon…

Culture 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,…

Philosophy Statistics

Correlation Implies Causation

A version of this post originally appeared on 20 October 2012. But after a Twitter conversation with our friend @Neuro_Skeptic, it's time for an addition. Comes a Salon article entitled…

McChuck on We Passed Peak “Climate Change” (um) ResearchAugust 18, 2026
The number of new climate change papers is proportional to USAID funding and inversely proportional to the number of new…
Cary Cotterman on We Passed Peak “Climate Change” (um) ResearchAugust 17, 2026
I'm not worried about "climate change" or "covid". I'm worried about what BS the money-hungry and power-hungry, and the useful…
Tars Tarkas on We Passed Peak “Climate Change” (um) ResearchAugust 17, 2026
"The graph is not normalized by number of scientists. In 1960, there were far fewer scientists than there are now.…
Brian (bulaoren) on We Passed Peak “Climate Change” (um) ResearchAugust 17, 2026
This is probably wishful thinking but...might it be the academic climate that has changed?.....nah
_Jim on You Can’t Con An Honest Man & The Case of Jason ArdayAugust 14, 2026
And, just like that, he (apparently) self-exterminates. Found unresponsive and declared deceased where they found him today, Friday the 14th…

William M. Briggs

Is Moral Certainty Possible?

We Passed Peak “Climate Change” (um) Research

Sweet Wee Ps Say Sugar Makes You Lose Your Mind

AI Is Neither Artificial Nor Intelligent

You Can’t Con An Honest Man & The Case of Jason Arday

Academics: Achieve Sustainability by Easing Population to 4 Billion by 2200

The Impossibility of Proposition Nations

Ugly Women Rulers Condemn Lookism

The Wee P Boogie: The Song That’s Sweeping the Nation!

Wolfgang Smith For Everyone

Death By Organ Donation

$7.11 at 7:11 PM on 7/11 at 7/11: What Are The Chances?

Caution Against The Precautionary Principle: Interview with Jaap Hanekamp

Believing In God Makes You Crave Potato Chips, Say Academics

Hume’s Guillotine, Euclid’s Catapult: Induction, Axioms, and Objective Ethics

University of California Prof Tries To Save System From DIEing

The Equality Paradox

My Horrible Interaction With AI

SOON

The Court’s Slow Theft Of The Constitution — Guest Post by Ianto Watt

Happy Birthday to US

Is Moral Certainty Possible?

We Passed Peak “Climate Change” (um) Research

Physical Probability Doesn’t Exist

True Reason: Confronting the Irrationality of the New Atheism Reviewed

Trigger Warnings And The Feminismization Of America

Global Warming Update: Titanic Sunk! Contest Update: Other Historical Events. Update: Not Me!

Animals Suing People, People Suing Animals: Lawyers Rejoice

Punishment Of Pre-Thoughtcrime On The Rise: You Could Be Next

A New Possible Solution Of Fermi’s Paradox

Correlation Implies Causation

There Is No Culture Without Inequality: Stove 1

Impose Your Beliefs Before They Impose Theirs

Telekinesis: Ideas In Our Reenchantment & Rectification

The Physics Of Blessings: Ideas In Our Reenchantment & Rectification