Science / Tech - Quillette (Page 14)

How To Think About Our Problems

To plan for problems ahead, such as droughts, was a better survival strategy than expecting an eternity of bountiful harvests.

Marian L. Tupy

19 Feb 2020 · 6 min read

Should We Colonize Mars? The Fate of Humanity May One Day Depend on It

Do we have the right to supplant Martian life with our own? Yes—because a human life has more value than that of a bacterium.

Owen Lewis

3 Feb 2020 · 7 min read

Sex Differences in Cognition

There is also a wide range of literature regarding sex differences in interest, which is also complicated, and which may explain a larger portion of the sex discrepancy in STEM careers.

Christopher J. Ferguson

27 Dec 2019 · 8 min read

Andrew Yang—Technocratic Populist

Government and policy would be better off if they were presided over and/or dictated by technical experts.

Marshawn Brewer

5 Nov 2019 · 12 min read

Science and Data: Notes on a Misconception

The theory that science is based on evidence derives from a philosophy known as empiricism.

Lucas Smalldon

10 Oct 2019 · 7 min read

How Feminism Has Constrained Our Understanding of Gender

Feminist research into sex differences has typically concluded that the number of sex differences is small, and therefore unimportant, thus making the logical error that a small number of differences means those differences are inconsequential.

John Barry

8 Oct 2019 · 7 min read

There is No ‘Gay Gene,’ but Sexuality is Affected by Many Genes of Small Effect

Day by day, as genetic science advances, it becomes ever clearer that all psychological traits are genetically influenced.

Jerry Barnett

14 Sep 2019 · 4 min read

David Gelernter is Wrong About Ditching Darwin

The last lesson of Gelernter’s piece is that while we shouldn’t judge someone’s arguments by their credentials alone, neither should we give unwarranted credence to those who have impressive credentials, particularly when they pronounce on a field in which they lack expertise.

Jerry A. Coyne

9 Sep 2019 · 11 min read

In Celebration of Errors

Shouting someone down for speaking a thought in public effectively ends the critical discussion. There can be no further exploration of why the idea at issue is wrong, or what kernel of truth there may be therein.

Logan Chipkin

28 Aug 2019 · 6 min read

Abandon in Place: The Price of the First Steps to the Moon

Between July 20, 1969, and December 14, 1972, 12 Americans walked on the moon. Describing the remarkable and inspiring and fascinating how is usually the focus of books and documentaries.

Craig Colgan

18 Jul 2019 · 10 min read

Culture War Churn and the YouTube Rabbit-Hole

The YouTube-rabbit-hole phenomenon will undoubtedly continue to radicalize certain individuals. But give it time, let the churn machine keep churning.

Peter Clarke

17 Jul 2019 · 7 min read

A Black Eye for the Columbia Journalism Review

Essays attacking the left- or right-wing bias of this or that media outlet are, of course, old hat in my business.

Jonathan Kay

18 Jun 2019 · 9 min read

An Unhelpful Study about Women in Physics

Moreover, the conclusion that harassment drives women from physics contradicts publicly available data on the progression of women in physics careers.

Sebastian Cesario

13 Jun 2019 · 7 min read

The Fallacy of Techno-Optimism

Instead of empty analogies, the only way to survive change is to have a vigorous debate about the merits of our new ideas—precisely the kind of debate that techno-optimists want to foreclose by appealing to history.

Nicholas Phillips

6 Jun 2019 · 8 min read

Against Big Tech Viewpoint Discrimination

Some might claim that electric power is far more of a necessity that social media access.

James D. Miller

6 Jun 2019 · 4 min read