Science and Data: Notes on a Misconception
The theory that science is based on evidence derives from a philosophy known as empiricism.
Lucas Smalldon
· 7 min read
Science / Tech
A collection of 371 posts
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
· 7 min read
Right of Reply: Our Response to Jerry Coyne
Careless in his facts, Coyne is also careless in his references.
Günter Bechly, Brian Miller and David Berlinski
· 14 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
· 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
· 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
· 6 min read
Abandon in Place: The Price of the First Steps to the Moon
I was a child in the 1960s, and I embraced Apollo as the adventure of all time
Craig Colgan
· 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
· 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
· 8 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
· 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
· 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
· 4 min read
Superior: The Return of Race Science—A Review
It is reasonably entertaining to read, and does make some valid points about the misuse of “race science.” Unfortunately, it is also tendentious, dogmatic, and seriously misleading about the current state of scientific knowledge.
Bo Winegard, Noah Carl
· 21 min read
How ‘Limbic Capitalism’ Preys on Our Addicted Brains
The more rapid and intense the brain reward they imparted, the likelier they were to foster pathological learning and craving, particularly among socially and genetically vulnerable consumers.
David Courtwright
· 11 min read
A Contrarian View of Digital Health
Sending millions more people to clinicians, creating a society even more fearful of lurking diseases, and systematically robbing people of the normal arc of life and death–this, I am afraid, is where the digital health expansion is heading.
John Mandrola
· 6 min read