On the False Epistemological Overconfidence of Social Media

A typical Twitter exchange might go like this: “Coal kills _____ millions of people per year.” (Possibly a link to a related article, which only .01% of people who see the tweet will actually read in its entirety.) And then someone like Jordan Peterson will reply or re-tweet an argument along the lines of, “Such… Continue reading On the False Epistemological Overconfidence of Social Media

Even more skepticism about the ‘loneliness epidemic’

A Google search shows considerable interest in the so-called loneliness epidemic: I have long argued that the purported loneliness epidemic is a creation of the media/pundits and does not exist. By writing hundreds of articles about it, people will be influenced to believe it is real. 1. America has high rates of domestic violence and… Continue reading Even more skepticism about the ‘loneliness epidemic’

The New Gilded Age

All over Reddit there are tons of posts of people getting richer than ever. It’s like the gilded age all over again, but the top hats, canes, and horse-drawn carriages have been replaced by inconspicuous button-down dress shirts and Teslas. They, the ‘new rich’, are not losing sleep over the ‘national suicide’ that Eric and… Continue reading The New Gilded Age

So Much For That, Part???

The always-ineffectual Rand Paul grilled Fauci over Wuhan lab funding back in May 2021, which was 6 months ago, and what came of it? Absolutely nothing. Remember a year ago when Ted Cruz ripped into Jack Dorsey. He really showed him, didn’t he. Trump is still suspended for Twitter, and nothing changed. And at around… Continue reading So Much For That, Part???

Experts vs. Non-experts

Scott’s article the Epistemic Minor Leagues went viral. As a nitpick, I think a more accurate title would have been ‘intellectual minor leagues’. Epistemology is more concerned with how humans acquire knowledge or apply knowledge to justify their beliefs, as opposed to being a descriptor or quantifier of individual knowledge. He even calls it that… Continue reading Experts vs. Non-experts

Antitrust: Much Ado About Nothing Again

Antitrust has been in the news for years, with new headlines every month, yet Google stock keeps going up, suggesting that investors are not concerned. I dunno why people keep wasting their time with this. Wherever I see proposed/tentative antitrust action against Google, Facebook, or any other dominant tech company, there are always holes in… Continue reading Antitrust: Much Ado About Nothing Again

Did William Shatner Debunk the Obesity Health Crisis?

Are the health effects of obesity exaggerated? possibly I think much of what is considered ‘scientific truth/orthodoxy’ needs to be scrutinized better. The replication crisis for example has called into doubt many assumptions that were in the past taken for granted. As it turns out, things that should be self-evident or intuitively ‘obvious’ fail to… Continue reading Did William Shatner Debunk the Obesity Health Crisis?

More Taleb Tweets

I wonder if him constantly shilling Mathematica has anything to do with this. I wonder how much Taleb is being paid to constantly shill Mathematica. Wolfram, @stephen_wolfram, is the only real scientist I've ever met. Others are like easily detectable imitations of the original. https://t.co/g5yUd2777S — Nassim Nicholas Taleb (@nntaleb) October 18, 2021 So the… Continue reading More Taleb Tweets