Steven Landsburg | The Big Questions: Tackling the Problems of Philosophy with Ideas from Mathematics, Economics, and Physics

The death last week of the pathbreaking comic book artist Trina Robbins reminded me of an odd bit of history. Before she was a cartoonist, Robbins owned and operated a Lower East Side boutique ca...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2024/04/20/specialized-markets/

If you’re in the vicinity of the University of Rochester this Tuesday, please join us: Title: Lead Exposure and Crime Presenter: Kevin Schnepel on 3/19 at 5pm in Goergen 101 Description: Early-...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2024/03/17/lead-exposure-and-criminal-behavior/

I am just back from the G4G conference in Atlanta, where I gave a six-minute talk on how to organize a waiting line. The video of the actual talk will appear on the web eventually, but in the mea...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2024/02/27/how-to-organize-a-waiting-line/

I feel like I should record this, on the off-chance that it will save someone else from spending 18 hours glued to a computer screen missing the obvious. It will be of very limited interest. Actu...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/12/03/how-i-spent-my-saturday-a-geeky-puzzle/

If you’re in the vicinity of the University of Rochester this Thursday (November 16), check this out:

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/11/14/pandemic-policy/

If you’re in the vicinity of the University of Rochester Thursday evening at 5PM (that is, November 9, which is likely to be the date on which you’re reading this), please drop by Meliora 203...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/11/08/economic-catastrophes/

Recognizing that I know no more about politics than most of you, and that I have no notable record as a political prognosticator, here is my prediction, as of about a half hour before the second ...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/09/27/game-theory/

I know very little about Asa Hutchinson (ex-governor or Arkansas, current candidate for president) but I’ve heard him on the radio a few times and he seems worth listening to. I’ve heard him ...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/08/18/a-chance-to-do-some-good/

Not all podcasts are fun (for either the guests or the viewers) but in my experience all podcasts hosted by Bob Murphy are fun for all involved. You can see the latest here or on YouTube:

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/06/16/human-action/

If you are in the vicinity of the University of Rochester this Thursday, please join us:

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/04/17/the-fabric-of-civilization/

I believe I am now caught up on replying to the many comments on my post about Chat-GPT4 failing my economics exam. My responses are quite out of order, but are labeled with the numbers of the po...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/04/16/done/

If you are in the vicinity of the University of Rochester tomorrow, check it out:

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/04/11/how-economics-can-make-you-a-better-athlete-and-a-better-sports-fan/

Edit: Here is a new and improved version of the post below. I am leaving the original up for historical reasons, but I recommend following the link instead of reading this post. *****************...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/04/05/gpt-4-fails-economics/

I am pleased (I think) to announce that I have just submitted to ChatGPT an exam, consisting entirely of questions taken from recent final exams in my sophomore-level intermediate economics class...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/04/04/chatgpt-fails-economics/

If you are in the vicinity of the University of Rochester this Wednesday (March 15), you have an opportunity to hear Martin Cox, the director of the John Locke Institute, talking about “How to ...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/03/12/how-to-be-right/

Ethan Siegel, writing in Forbes, concludes that No, the Universe is Not Purely Mathematical in Nature. His argument, unless I’ve badly misunderstood him, is that many purely mathematical models...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2023/03/03/math-the-universe-and-ethan-siegel/

A few years ago, I was driving a Hertz rental car at about 25 mph in a residential neighborhood when the rear-view mirror suddenly flew off and hit me in the face. I came within inches of hitting...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2022/12/26/adventures-in-the-rental-market/

I am glad I don’t live in a country where the penalty for criminal behavior includes having your tax returns released to the public. I am doubly glad I don’t live in a country where the penal...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2022/12/20/trump-and-tax-returns/

A bit of history: One day in the 16th century, a student at Oxford University was sitting in the woods reading a volume of Aristotle, when he was attacked by a wild boar. The student saved himsel...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2022/11/30/some-history-lessons/

A Guest Post by Bennett Haselton Nearly 9 years ago, Steven posted this brainteaser: Here I have a well shuffled deck of 52 cards, half of them red and half of them black. I plan to slowly turn t...

https://www.thebigquestions.com/2022/11/28/using-a-brainteaser-to-discover-a-theorem/