Paul M. Jones | Science 2026-05-08T09:12:58-05:00 There Is Only One Science 2023-08-15T09:12:57-05:00 "All science is either physics or stamp-collecting." -- Ernest Rutherford I recall hearing it first another way, I think via Heinlein: "There is only one science. It is called 'physics.' Everything else is stamp-collecting." I like that phrasing bet... Why So Hesitant? 2021-12-09T16:07:59-06:00 The same people who told you ... Brexit would never happen, that Trump would never win, that when he did win it was because of Russian collusion but also because of racism, that you must follow lockdowns while they don’t, that masks don’t ... Why Rationality Fails 2021-02-23T17:03:14-06:00 Specifically, Bayesian rationality: Rationality is a real thing. It says, “Use these formulas, from math and logic, in this way without error.” That’s fine and sure advice. But — here’s the big but — rationality is sile... Implicit Bias Is Pseudo-Scientific Nonsense 2020-08-19T15:34:59-05:00 Via Ted Frank we have this: The implicit association test ... is an excellent example [of the replication crisis in social "science"]. Banaji and Greenwald claim that the IAT, a brief exercise in which one sits down at a computer and responds to var... So Much For All That Global Warming 2017-09-19T12:19:45-05:00 The world has warmed more slowly than had been forecast by computer models, which were "on the hot side" and overstated the impact of emissions, a new study has found. Its projections suggest that the world has a better chance than previously claimed... How Oxford and Peter Singer drove me from atheism to Jesus 2020-10-20T14:30:40-05:00 Christianity, it turned out, looked nothing like the caricature I once held. I found the story of Jacob wrestling with God especially compelling: God wants anything but the unthinking faith I had once assumed characterized Christianity. God wants us ... Faster Evolution Means More Ethnic Differences 2016-11-25T16:20:31-06:00 Russian scientists showed in the 1990s that a strong selection pressure (picking out and breeding only the tamest fox pups in each generation) created what was -- in behavior as well as body -- essentially a new species in just 30 generations. That w... How To Think Real Good 2015-12-08T16:55:50-06:00 Via http://meaningness.com/metablog/how-to-think. All of the following are quotes from the article that, in general, appeal to my priors. All emphasis in original, which you should read in its entirety. The implicit assumption is that the problem Ba... Cholesterol Is Not Bad For You; or, The 8 Stages Of Science Scams 2015-07-09T14:31:43-05:00 1) it is propagated by scientists on a non-scientific mission 2) it is believed because it plausibly explains an observation (increasing global temperature [for a time], increasing heart attacks from smoking in the 1950s and 60s). It taps into large ... The Varieties of Scientific Experience 2015-02-01T22:12:30-06:00 I liked this mostly because it exposes a lot of "fans of science" as mostly tribal, not as actual adherents to a methodology or approach. The varieties are: - Science as Method - Science as Production and Stewardship - Science as Authority - Science...