Guided Thought | William Batten
Mental Tools for Greater Living
Category: Science
Pure nonsense, but based on data
Consider this short tale of woe. Scientist: “Driving isn’t without risks. In Australia, thousands of people die in traffic fatalities each year. Many more are injured. What makes it worse is that your reckless driving doesn’t just put you at risk – it compromises… Continue Reading “Pure nonsense, but based on data”
Staring into the eyes of a false trichotomy
Yesterday, I spent a thousand words on a different take on the lockdowns. While everyone debates the effectiveness of the covid countermeasures, I questioned the lack of variety. If it’s a crisis, then we should see hundreds of countermeasures. Every week, you’d hear about… Continue Reading “Staring into the eyes of a false trichotomy”
How societies solve crises
How many ways are people trying to solve climate change? There are plenty of technology swaps people are making. Like, say, replacing coal power plants with solar farms. Some tech goes towards reducing the bad stuff, like experimental gut bacteria for cows that stops… Continue Reading “How societies solve crises”
Time lapse of a communications disaster
If you take the weeks of pauses from between the messages, covid advice looks like this: We need to lockdown for three weeks to flatten the curve. Okay, actually, we need to lockdown until we develop vaccines. Okay, we’ve developed vaccines, but we can’t… Continue Reading “Time lapse of a communications disaster”
Why not ‘acting on scientific research’?
When I wrote about the difference between science and science’s brand, back in mid-2019, I had no idea how ahead of events I was. I wrote that as a defence of hypnosis. It seems unscientific but the evidence is indisputable – that makes it… Continue Reading “Why not ‘acting on scientific research’?”
When the Nobel Prize makes me throw up a little
You’ve probably heard of the Nobel Prize. You probably even know it’s a series of awards for science. That undersells it. They don’t just hand out a Nobel for good science, great science, profitable science or trendy science. It goes to the newest and… Continue Reading “When the Nobel Prize makes me throw up a little”
Til you run out of cake and eat it too
I’m glad I got burned, Think of all the things we learned For the people who are still alive – GLaDOS You can probably guess who, in my mind, the ideal scientist is. In the Portal game, you go up against GLaDOS – an… Continue Reading “Til you run out of cake and eat it too”
Outside the realm of science?
Since I’m reflecting on the nature of science again, a question popped into my mind: What, if anything, is beyond the realm of science? It’s easy to give a BS poetic answer, like “the love a mother has for her child”. Which is wrong.… Continue Reading “Outside the realm of science?”
Why smart people argue against science
A while ago, I started following someone on social media. They were a scientist of some sort and had a knack for explaining quirky things about the world. It was fun and educational. I stopped following them after they posted something like this: A… Continue Reading “Why smart people argue against science”
How the cradle of freedom, rationality, science and tolerance poisons itself
Every generation, lunatics, preppers, sleazy politicians and conspiracy theorists say Western Civilisation is in a state of decay. And they’re all right. Entropy attacks the system because entropy attacks every system. Every political and economic theory sows the seeds of its own annihilation. A… Continue Reading “How the cradle of freedom, rationality, science and tolerance poisons itself”
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