Evident: Adjective: clearly seen or understood; obvious. Late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin evidens, evident- ‘obvious to the eye or mind’, from e- (variant of ex- ) ‘out’ + vident, past participle of videre ‘to see’. You may recall that not so long ago I recounted for you the history of the … Continue reading →

  Uncertainty as Knowledge Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you wake up one morning with a burning desire to learn everything there is to know about uncertainty and its relationship to knowledge. And let’s say, for the sake of extending this rhetorical ploy, that you want to make sure that your desire … Continue reading →

If there is something that the climate change debate is certainly not lacking it is ad hominin, for whilst it is universally disapproved of it is also ubiquitous to the point of being de rigueur. Take, for example, Peter Gleick’s recent critique of Michael Shellenberger’s latest book. Peter does not waste any time in accusing … Continue reading →

I’ve got another question for you: What have the pioneers of quantum electrodynamics (QED) and quantum chromodynamics (QCD) to do with climate science? The answer is: Perhaps more than they should. In one case, the connection exists because the gentleman concerned, Freeman Dyson, chose to make public his sceptical views – largely to his personal … Continue reading →

Here’s a little teaser for you: What do Doctors Frankenstein, Honeydew and Michael Mann all have in common? No, it isn’t that they are all Muppets – Dr Frankenstein wouldn’t fit that pattern. The real answer is that they all provide an important reminder that scientists are, after all, human, and therefore prone to human … Continue reading →

Here’s a question for you to take your mind off COVID-19: Who is your favourite bear? Is it Paddington? Or maybe it’s Rupert. For many it is Yogi, who is, after all, smarter than the average. Personally, I always had a soft spot for Boo-Boo. But if my life depended upon it, I think I … Continue reading →

Ever since I had learnt that I could drop the leading ‘e’ in the word ‘extreme’ and get away with it, I knew that I was one of society’s thrill seekers. It started in the workplace with ‘xtreme programming’ but it wasn’t long before I had taken my adrenalin addiction home with me and I … Continue reading →

  The current COVID-19 crisis has focused many people’s attention on the question of risk and how governments go about ensuring public safety. I have no epidemiological experience that enables me to comment knowledgably upon the UK government’s strategies, and if I did claim to have any I am sure there would be someone out … Continue reading →

Since the dawn of time mankind has been faced with two brute facts: Nothing is straightforward and entropy is a bitch. To address the former, and in apparent defiance of the latter, our species has benefitted from two developments that have broadly co-evolved: Complex brains and complex societies. So much has been written about these … Continue reading →

Here you find me, sitting in my study, surrounded by the same collection of Waterstones Smart Thinking books that Dominic Cummings uses to run the country, trying desperately to self-isolate for my wife’s benefit, because I swear to God, if the virus doesn’t kill her, I will. And then I look at the calendar and … Continue reading →