Lars P. Syll

On Econs and Humans Many years ago, Thaler was hosting dinner for some guests (other then-young economists) and put out a large bowl of cashew nuts to nibble on with the first bottle of wine. Within a few minutes it became clear that the bowl of nuts was going to be consumed in its entirety, and that the guests might lack sufficient appetite to enjoy all the food that was to follow. Leaping into action, Thaler grabbed the bowl of nuts, and (while sneaking a...

Die Mauer​ ist weg! In November​ 1989 the Berin Wall came down — and changed European history forever. [embedded content] div{float:left;margin-right:10px;} div.wpmrec2x div.u > div:nth-child(3n){margin-right:0px;} ]]> Advertisements

För en skola bortom elevers kontingenta fakticitet Skolpedagogiska reformimpulser borde så småningom sluta att förlita sig på sjuttiotalets motiv, innebörder och semantik. Annars går det som när en orkester orubbligt fortsätter att spela de gamla välkända melodierna utan att bry sig om att publiken för länge sedan har lämnat salen. Det är på tiden att spela något nytt, man borde våga en ny början. Farväl till sjuttiotalet! Thomas Ziehe, ”Adjö till...

How to learn a new language — drink alcohol! Being more or less conversant in seven languages, yours truly knows from own experience that learning a new language isn’t easy. It sure takes time and effort but is worth every minute. And as science has shown — it improves your cognitive and sensory abilities. Now, speaking a foreign language is often intimidating. But as science — again — has shown: drinking alcohol helps … [embedded content]...

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P-hacking and data dredging P-hacking refers to when you massage your data and analysis methods until your result reaches a statistically significant p-value. I will put it to you that in practice most p-hacking is not necessarily about hacking p-s but about dredging your data until your results fit a particular pattern. That may be something you predicted but didn’t find or could even just be some chance finding that looked interesting and is amplified...

John Searle and the sexual harassment​ scandals at​ UC Berkeley A sexual harassment scandal casts a shadow on University of California, Berkeley and academic philosophy. John R. Searle, one of the world’s most renowned philosophers, has been named in a sexual harassment lawsuit launched by a former student, Joanna Ong. As Katie J.M. Baker of BuzzFeed reports: “The lawsuit, which lists Searle and the Regents of the University of California as defendants,...

The atomic hypothesis and the limits of econometrics Our admiration for technical virtuosity should never blind us to the fact that we have to have a cautious attitude towards probabilistic inferences in economic contexts. Science should help us disclose causal forces behind apparent ‘facts.’ We should look out for causal relations, but econometrics can never be more than a starting point in that endeavour since econometric (statistical) explanations are...

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Der Himmel über Berlin (personal)  [embedded content] I only left Berlin three days ago. I already wish I was there again. Watching Peter Handke’s and Wim Wenders’ masterpiece — a movie that touches my heart more than any other — takes me back to the city I learned to love already back in the 1970’s. Als das Kind Kind war, ging es mit hängenden Armen, wollte der Bach sei ein Fluß, der Fluß sei ein Strom, und diese Pfütze das Meer. Als das Kind Kind war,...