About

With very few exceptions, reality can be observed and measured. This allows us to formulate hypotheses about the world and see whether they describe phenomena correctly or not – by setting up and doing experiments or evaluating “natural” experiments, i.e. occurrences of events. This approach is known as the scientific method and gives us the best tool for understanding the world and shaping it that we have ever known.

It is therefore puzzling that in many fields non-reality-based approaches rule the day: political ideologies, religious faith, various believes, or moralistic “ought-to”s. The results are typically suboptimal outcomes, unnecessary suffering, and failures to achieve goals – be they social, cultural, economic, or medical.

I don’t have the patience for willful ignorance. So in this blog, I’ll repost, comment, tie different strands together – all to support reality-based decisions. I’ll try to keep subjectivity as much as possible out of my writing, simply because to err is human.