Category Archives: Science

WHY ARE ALMOST ONE THIRD OF ARTICLES IN SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS WRONG?

Posted on October 20, 2008 by Philip

WHY ARE ALMOST ONE THIRD OF ARTICLES IN SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS WRONG? This article in the Economist for October 11 reports on an article by John Ioannidis and others which advances explanations for why so many published scientific articles turn out … Continue reading →

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EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY AND NARRATIVE.

Posted on October 1, 2008 by Philip

EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY AND NARRATIVE. If an ability to understand the thoughts of an imaginary character is present in a five year old, did that ability in humans arise by accident or because it provides an evolutionary advantage? In the article … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Science | 3 Comments

EMPATHY AND NARRATIVE.

Posted on October 1, 2008 by Philip

EMPATHY AND NARRATIVE.As I posted yesterday, David Foster Wallace argued that a function of a liberal arts education is to improve our ability to enter into the thoughts of others. An article by Jeremy Hsu in the September Scientific American … Continue reading →

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CLEAN CLOTHES FOR DOCTORS.

Posted on September 24, 2008 by Philip

CLEAN CLOTHES FOR DOCTORS. The article that I posted on yesterday on whether hospital personnel should wear clean clothes says that “American hospitals operate on tight budgets and can’t afford to provide clothes and shoes to every worker. In addition, … Continue reading →

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CLEAN SURFACES (REVISITED).

Posted on September 23, 2008 by Philip

CLEAN SURFACES (REVISITED). I have posted several times, including here, about efforts to reduce hospital infections. This article by Tara Parker-Pope describes how the British National Health Service has imposed a “bare below the elbows” rule against doctors wearing neckties … Continue reading →

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SCOTT FITZGERALD, CRITIC.

Posted on September 17, 2008 by Philip

SCOTT FITZGERALD, CRITIC. I have been reading Bryant Mangum’s edition of THE BEST EARLY STORIES OF F. SCOTT FITZGERALD. Fitzgerald had remarkable range very early. It’s startling to find such wisdom in a young man who went on to lead … Continue reading →

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DUELS—JAY AND CROW.

Posted on September 9, 2008 by Philip

DUELS—JAY AND CROW. Jack Sanders in our local Darien Times described a recent report of a duel between a Steller’s Jay and a crow.The jay tried without success to frighten a crow away from a feeder. The jay then broke … Continue reading →

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CHOOSING AN ONCOLOGIST.

Posted on September 8, 2008 by Philip

CHOOSING AN ONCOLOGIST. Kids, this philosophical debate about the foundations of statistics is important. You may have noticed that I am a Bayesian. When we had to choose an oncologist, one of the factors turned out to be how they … Continue reading →

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STATISTICAL THEORY AND LIFE CONSEQUENCES.

Posted on September 8, 2008 by Philip

STATISTICAL THEORY AND LIFE CONSEQUENCES. This article illustrates the split between Bayesians and frequentists. A great deal of attention has been paid during the last forty years to measuring and trying to reduce bad cholesterol” (LDL), which is thought to … Continue reading →

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BAYESIANS AND FREQUENTISTS.

Posted on September 8, 2008 by Philip

BAYESIANS AND FREQUENTISTS. There is a major split between statisticians. In conducting a statistical test, one grouping (“Bayesians”) wants to include independent knowledge and beliefs; the other wants to start from scratch (“frequentists”). This wikipedia article describes the “debate around … Continue reading →

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