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…

Rudolph Harrier on Class 83: Why Were Paul Ehrlich’s Predictions So Good (and so Bad)?March 19, 2026
It's always "I'm right, because all the experts say I'm right. You wouldn't want to disagree with the experts, would…
John M on The Great Effeminization of the AcademyMarch 18, 2026
Genesis 3:13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman…
Cary D Cotterman on The Great Effeminization of the AcademyMarch 18, 2026
I can't read the titles or the excerpts without laughing out loud. They are comedy gold.
Michael 2 on On Not ReadingMarch 18, 2026
"I do watch electronic repair videos and old movies on YouTube (and not on a phone). " Same here. Big…
Tars Tarkas on The Great Effeminization of the AcademyMarch 18, 2026
I miss Z-man's Xirl Science segments in the Z-Man power hour. He would highlight articles like the ones highlighted here.…

William M. Briggs

Class 83: Why Were Paul Ehrlich’s Predictions So Good (and so Bad)?

The Great Effeminization of the Academy

The Only Metric That Matters: Or, Pinker’s Folly

Lancet Discovers Public Health Is Politics

Class 82: Be More Uncertain (About Models)

On Not Reading

The Great Smoothing: Another Reason Not To Fear (or trust) AI

A Synchronicity Or Coincidence? What Is Behind Curious Events?

Class 81: The Second Biggest Error In Time Series

The Paper Test Shows Why AGI Is Not Possible: And Why The Brain Is Different In Kind

Researcher Imagines Weather With No Human Influence: Concludes Climate Change Hurts Incomes

Faith Deposited: Why Godless Science Fails

Class 80: Granger Causality; Per Se & Accidental Time Series; Stationarity

Scientists Seeking To Escape Criticism Run To The Warmth & Comfort Of Bluesky

The Loss of Ephemera — Guest Post by The Blonde Bombshell

Class 79: Time Series Example

The Importance Of Not Making Decisions

Don’t Take The ‘Long-Covid’ Alzheimer’s Study Seriously

AI Is Driving Many Crazy: Our Latest Panic

Class 78: The Attempt To Turn Correlation Lead Into Causation Gold In Time Series

Desperate Need For Equality: AP Exam Performance

Class 83: Why Were Paul Ehrlich’s Predictions So Good (and so Bad)?

The Great Effeminization of the Academy

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

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

DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: III of III

DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: II of III

DANCES WITHOUT FEATHERS: I of III

At ASA/ISM Joint Statistical Meetings

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

Models, theories, consistency, and truth

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