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Author Archives: F. E. Guerra-Pujol
Reverse legal lotteries
The increasing problem of overcriminalization (of private citizens and businesses, that is — policemen and regulators almost always get a free pass) has been noted before. In summary, overcriminalization threatens our economic liberties and undermines the rule of law. Matt Kaiser, moreover, describes … Continue reading
Here come the lawyers!
You can read the well-drafted, five-page complaint filed by Judy Huth against Bill Cosby for yourself. Ms Huth’s complaint alleges three causes of actions or legal claims: (1) sexual battery, (2) intentional infliction of emotional distress, and (3) negligent infliction of emotional … Continue reading
Borgesian infinite regress
“On some shelf in some hexagon [within the Library of Babel], it was argued, there must exist a book that is the cipher and perfect compendium of all other books *** How was one to locate the idolized secret hexagon … Continue reading
Posted in Literature, Logical Fallacies, Paradoxes
Tagged Jorge Luis Borges, The Library of Babel
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“The location of academic knowledge”
That is the title of this data visualization courtesy of the Oxford Internet Institute. (By the way, you may click on the diagram for a larger version.) Question: If we were to map the number of retractions or fake peer reviews (see … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, Questions Rarely Asked
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Gaming the peer review system
Check out this exposé of peer review scams. Among other things, Cat Ferguson, Adam Marcus, and Ivan Oransky write: In the past 2 years, journals have been forced to retract more than 110 papers in at least 6 instances of peer-review rigging. What all these … Continue reading
Historical contingency (Louisiana edition)
What if Napoleon had sold Louisiana to Britain or Spain instead of the USA?
Vampire Freakonomics Redux
Originally posted on prior probability:
https://twitter.com/freakonomics/status/528547453524803585 Check out this fun Freakonomics podcast featuring economists Steve Horwitz and Glen Whitman as well as yours truly, and while you’re at it, why not check out the Economics of the Undead blog too?
The evolution of deception
What do fork-tailed drongos, tufted capuchin monkeys, Mexican free-tailed bats, Tiger moths, and humans have in common? Check out this beautiful essay by Lesley Evans Ogden describing various forms of deception in nature. Props to Tyler Cowen for the pointer. Here is another … Continue reading
prior probability 