Category Archives: Nature of Science

Jon Stewart’s irresponsible, anti-science, COVID conspiracy theory rant

I’ve been a fan of Jon Stewart for a long time. I usually find him to be both funny and insightful. It was, therefore, with great dismay that I watched him spread a conspiracy theory and inaccuracies about science on … Continue reading

Posted in Nature of Science | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Jon Stewart’s irresponsible, anti-science, COVID conspiracy theory rant

What does “statistically significant” mean?

Lately, social media has been flooded with people sharing studies about various aspects of COVID. This is potentially great. I’m all for people being more engaged with science. Unfortunately, many people lack a good foundation for understanding science, and a … Continue reading

Posted in Nature of Science | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Science is a path to knowledge

There are a lot of misconceptions about what science actually is, and, as a result, there are a lot of incorrect conclusions about the reliability and utility of science. I frequently encounter people who expect science to give absolute answers. … Continue reading

Posted in Nature of Science | Tagged , | 29 Comments

The overwhelming consensus on climate change

The climate is changing, and we are the primary cause. These are simple facts that are supported by a vast body of evidence and agreed upon by virtually allcr experts. Nevertheless, many people continue to think that the science isn’t … Continue reading

Posted in Global Warming, Nature of Science | Tagged , , , , | 75 Comments

Windows into Science: Scientific Conferences

I am writing this on my way home from attending two scientific conferences. These meetings are critical components of the modern scientific enterprise, and they provide a lot of insights into how science works, so I thought it would be … Continue reading

Posted in Nature of Science | Tagged | 6 Comments