Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Monday, November 4, 2024
Monday, October 28, 2024
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Lista de Estudiantes Asistentes
María Cetino
José Guizán
Daniela Fonseca
Nicole Leithof
Amarillis Rubido
Ariana Tacher
Samantha Tang
Ricardo Uzcátegui
Augusto Valero
Monday, October 14, 2024
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Monday, October 7, 2024
Friday, October 4, 2024
Thursday, October 3, 2024
La invasión del "fake" research (o por qué debemos considerar lo "fake" como una parte del todo)
Climate scientist admits to overhyping research to get published (in the Telegraph)
Are you surprised? 😂
Let's do a bit of Philosophy of statistics.
I remember Professor Barr's adage in my Statistical Analysis class: if you find two compelling reasons for a mistake (outside the research), it's not a mistake.
What an error in statistics?
Observational error (or Measurement error) is the difference between a measured value of a quantity and its true value. In statistics, an error is not necessarily a "mistake."
The reason is that variability is an inherent part of the results of measurement processes.
Measurement errors can be divided into two: random and systematic.
Random errors are errors in measurement that lead to inconsistent measurable values when repeated measurements of a constant attribute or quantity are taken (errors can get repeated even if looking for proof)
Systematic errors are not determined by chance but are introduced by repeatable processes inherent to the system.
Put differently, the house would lose if randomness was true.
A systematic error is not determined by chance but by a repeatable process inherent to the system. In gambling parlance, Casino bias is part of the game; otherwise, the House loses!
Now, is complete randomness REAL? Some think not.
If not, how do you argue?
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Criteria of adequacy of scientific theories (importante)
The features of what distinguishes a good theory from a bad one:
1. Consistency: Lack of internal contradictions.
2. Simplicity: Quality of relying on only a small number of assumptions.
3. Scope: The amount of diverse phenomena observed.
4. Conservatism: Quality of fitting well with existing theories.
5. Fruitfulness: The number of new facts predicted of problems solved.
Monday, September 23, 2024
Some excellent Math texts I recommend
Tom Apostol Vol. 1, & Volume 2, (PDF) for Calculus 1, 2 & 3.
Advanced Calculus (PDF), by Lynn Loomis and Schlomo Sternberg.
A great Linear Algebra Introduction (PDF).
Intro to Abstract Algebra, by Michael Artin (2nd Edition).
Differential Equations, PDF, by Paul Blanchard.
Applied Partial Differential Equations, PDF, David Logan.
Introduction to Set Theory PDF, by Herbert Enderton, PDF.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Fallacies (watch out, most of info you get from sources is fallacious)
A fallacy is an argument which provides poor reasoning in support of its conclusion. Here are some examples:
Begging the Question: The argument's conclusion is used as one of its premises. Basically the proof is assumed.
A: He's mad right now.
B: How do you know?
A: Because he's really angry.
Of course smoking causes cancer. The smoke from cigarettes is a carcinogen!
Prosecutor to defendant: So how did you feel when you killed your wife?
Ad hominem (or Against the Person): When someone tries to win an argument by denigrating its presenter (favorite fallacy used by politicians and the media to put down an enemy)
"You claim that this man is innocent, but you cannot be trusted since you are a criminal as well."
"Hey, Professor Moore, we shouldn't have to read this book by Freud. Everyone knows he used cocaine."
Argumentum ad Populum (Literally "Argument to the People"): Using an appeal to popular assent, often by arousing the feelings and enthusiasm of the multitude rather than building an argument.
Ex: "The Bold and
the Listless must be a great book. It’s been on the best
seller list for 8 weeks."
Appeal to ignorance (ad ignorantiam): It has two forms: The fallacy occurs when you argue that your conclusion must be true,
because there is no evidence against it. Ad ignorantiam wrongly shifts the
burden of proof away from the one making the claim.
"She hasn't said she doesn't like you, right? So she's probably interested. Call her up."
"Nobody has conclusively proven that the Yeti doesn't exist, therefore it must exist."
"I thought I had every reason to think I was doing fine leading the group; no one complained."
Hasty Generalization: You are guilty of hasty generalization when jumping into conclusion about all things of a certain type based on evidence that concerns only a few things of that type (favorite argument used by politicians and ideologues).
"The department of law enforcement in Miami is corrupt. Five police officers in three different departments were involved in drug dealing in 2017" (right answer: Miami has 4,780 police employees, i.e., 5 corrupt officers are 0.16% of the force).
"Men are toxic! It's crystal clear: They perpetrate over 76% of the violent crime in the US." (right answer: violent men committing violent crimes constitute 6% of the population of males in the US).
Appeal to Authority: A claim is accepted because not because of its merit, but because of the authority (power, fame, etc) of the person saying it.
"Pacifism is a good idea because the brilliant scientist Einstein advocated it."
"If the Pope says it, it must be true."
"Nobody is a better judge than public opinion."
Red Herring: This fallacy consists in diverting attention from the real issue by focusing instead on an issue having only a surface relevance to the first.
Daughter: "I'm so hurt that Todd broke up with me, Mom."
Mother: "Just think of all the starving children in Africa, honey. Your problems will seem pretty insignificant then."
Appeal to Fear: To use threat or harm to advance an argument. Ex: "If we don’t stop petroleum consumption, global warming will increase. Therefore, we need to stop petroleum consumption immediately."
False Dilemma: It presumes that there are only two alternatives to a given problem, when in fact there are more than two.
"Either science can explain how she was cured or else, it's a miracle."
"Since there is nothing good on TV tonight, I will just have to get drunk."
"If you are don't accept our climate catastrophe, then you're a denier!"
False Cause: Supposing that two events are connected when in fact they are not.
"They had a very successful business. Then they decided to adopt a child, and the business went immediately into the red."
Inconsistency: A person commits the fallacy of inconsistency when he or she makes contradictory claims.
"I'm a strong believer in freedom of speech. However, when a person like John Dean can influence our youth , you have to draw a line and say no more."
"This is the truth: truth is subjective."
Etimological fallacy: Believing that the present day meaning of a word of concept should necessarily be similar to its historical meaning.
"So-and-so" (a phrase used in the 19th Century) should not be used anymore. It's very offensive!
Friday, September 6, 2024
Thursday, September 5, 2024
Etnocentrismo: eslabón fundamental de la cultura
Ayer en la clase me referí a mi cultura como la mejor.
Trataba de resaltar un punto que desde hace algunos años ha sido mal interpretado por una escuela de pensamiento que aboga por un multiculturalismo distorsionado. La confusión está en mezclar el respeto y la igualdad para el semejante con la disolución de los lazos culturales.
Le han dado mala fama al etnocentrismo.
No debía ser así.
A través de la historia hemos sido fundamentalmente etnocentristas.Y hay razones más que suficientes para serlo. Vamos por parte:
Primero la familia. De ahì el círculo de las familias: el clan. Nada más poderoso que eso.
¿Qué es un pueblo? El conjunto de personas de un lugar, región o país. De ahí venimos TODOS.
De ahí es que sale la cultura. ¿Por qué? La cultura se origina en una región o ubicación específica. La cultura de cada uno de nosotros es con la cual hemos crecido. Salimos de ahí.
Pongo como ejemplo tres culturas pertenecientes a tres islas del Caribe: Cuba, República Dominicana y Puerto Rico.
Las tres culturas parecieran muy similares pues comparten lenguaje, clima y geografía. PARA NADA.
El dominicano no se siente entre los suyos con cubanos ni con puertorriqueños. ¡Se siente como suyo entre los suyos!
Sí, puede ser un buen amigo de un puertorriqueño o un cubano –y muy íntimo. Pero en general, la mayoría de sus más cercanos son dominicanos. Lo mismo pasa con el cubano y el puertorriqueño.
¿Por qué?
Pertenecen a culturas distintas. Así de simple. Se trata de un proceso automático, dado por cientos de años de crecimiento en tu cultura. Es una incorporación y absorción "inconsciente", al nivel de las emociones, vivencias, costumbres, etc.
Algo muy fuerte. Casi inexplicable.
El impacto cohesivo de la cultura es milenaria
Resulta que ese etnocentrismo es obvio y terco.
Les cuento mi experimento antropológico "de bolsillo" en Miami Dade Wolfson Campus. En la cafetería de la escuela, durante el desayuno y el almuerzo, los alumnos llenaban el lugar. No resultaba difícil para alguien con una inquietud antropológica o sociológica observar una segregación cultural espontánea. Anglos con anglos, haitianos con haitianos –no con negros americanos. Cubanos con cubanos, venezolanos con venezolanos, salvadoreños con salvadoreños, nicas con nicas.
¿Quién se atreve a meter la cuchareta e imaginar que esa asociación espontánea es "incorrecta"?
Simplemente actúan siguiendo las costumbres de sus antepasados durante siglos. Pretender cambiar eso es tonto y además baldío.
Etnocentrismo sin absolutismo
El etnocentrista simplemente siente que su cultura es principal y fundamental.
Eso no implica que no pueda admitir lo mismo para otra cultura.
No le reprocho a un puertorriqueño en lo absoluto que piense que su cultura es la mejor. ¡Lo aplaudo y apoyo!
El sentimiento de interculturalidad es fuerte. De ahí salen las primeras ciudades del Homo Sapiens.
En mi juventud tuve una novia puertorriqueña que quise mucho. Cuando estaba con ella, sentía que los pertorriqueños eran lo mejor (y me sentía un poco boricua).
Y lo mismo digo de salvadoreños, guatemaltecos, argentinos, peruanos, haitianos...
Friday, August 30, 2024
Thursday, August 29, 2024
HOMEWORK 1
From The Presocratics post, Aug 28. Answer the following:
What is the fundamental stuff of the universe called?
1. Try to explain why they engaged in this sort of endeavor (35 words minimum).
2. Mention the definition of archê for the following philosophers: Thales, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, the Atomists, Empedocles, and Parmenides.
3. You may realize that Parmenides and Heraclitus have opposite definitions. Which do you prefer? In your opinion, explain why.
From our textbook:
4. (For your own edification, not for homework) to take the quiz (on page 5). Of course, you don't have enough knowledge now to even understand the scope of your answers (never mind).
5. Section 1. 1 (page 7), #1, #2, #5 (35 words minimum).
6. Even though we're just starting, what is a possible favorite branch of philosophy? Justify your answer (35 words minimum).