The End of Pestilence
The COVID-19 vaccine development experience shows it is possible to produce safe and effective vaccines much faster than previously thought.
Matthew Lesh
· 13 min read
Science / Tech
A collection of 320 posts
Lockdown Scepticism Was Never a ‘Fringe’ Viewpoint
The Declaration states that achieving herd immunity for COVID-19 can be assisted by vaccines, “but is not dependent” on their use.
Noah Carl
· 11 min read
Accommodating Trans Athletes Without Rejecting the Reality of Human Biology
As recent studies have shown, these advantages generally don’t go away simply because an athlete has changed their pronouns and hormone chemistry. At the highest levels, the difference between male and female world records typically hovers around 10 percent.
Quillette
· 11 min read
Beating Back Cancel Culture: A Case Study from the Field of Artificial Intelligence
It’s easy to decry cancel culture, but hard to turn it back. Thankfully, recent developments in my area of academic specialty—artificial intelligence (AI)—show that fighting cancel culture isn’t impossible.
Pedro Domingos
· 12 min read
Wikipedia Turns Twenty
An expansive free encyclopedia is impossible without an army of volunteer writers.
Adam Wakeling
· 9 min read
Why ‘Just Follow the Science’ Won’t Solve All Our Problems
The upshot is this: When a topic has moral or ideological implications, people typically have an a priori point of view that they then use as an end point, at least on a subconscious level.
Ilana Redstone
· 6 min read
Big Tech and Regulation—A Response to the Quillette Editors
The fallout has been intense and has gripped the professional commentariat.
Allen Farrington
· 7 min read
Social-Media Oligopolists Are the New Railroad Barons. It's Time for Washington to Treat Them Accordingly
In American First-Amendment jurisprudence, Brandenburg’s name is now a byword for the test that is used in assessing the validity of laws against inflammatory speech—especially speech that can lead to the sort of hateful mob activity that played out at the US Capitol last Wednesday.
Quillette
· 11 min read
The Future Is Already Here
One can still sell people smartwatches, and create “new needs” for people who have already established lives of comfort.
Joshua Schwartz
· 10 min read
On Sex and Gender, The New England Journal of Medicine Has Abandoned Its Scientific Mission
The very idea of “a dichotomous sex-classification system” is dubious, the authors believe.
Colin Wright
· 14 min read
The Flawed Reasoning of the Techlash and Progressive Movements
But painting the world as a struggle between victims and oppressors leaves little room for a careful discussion of costs and benefits, the unforeseen consequences of intervention, and potential government failure.
Dirk Auer
· 7 min read
Why Do Progressives Support the Unfettered Use of Private Property?
Tech companies are not equipped to rule on messy and complex disputes over truth.
Samuel E. Miller
· 7 min read
The Apocalyptic Threat from Artificial Intelligence Isn’t Science Fiction
The time to begin planning our response, and designing systems to give humanity a fighting chance, is now.
James D. Miller
· 11 min read
Desperation and the Quest for Control: The Dangers of Alternative Medicine
Contrary to popular opinion, alternative medicine is not always harmless, and when patients use it instead of conventional medical treatment, it can even be deadly.
S. Stiles
· 16 min read
Retracting a Controversial Paper Won’t Help Female Scientists
No scientific study is perfect and AlShebli et al.’s is certainly no exception.
Tania Reynolds
· 18 min read