Why a Logic is not only its Set of Valid Inferences

Why the Salpeter approximation is not valid in the Sun

We review the derivation of the electrostatic screening effect from first principles. We show that under the conditions prevailing in the Sun the number of particles in the Debye sphere is of the order of unity. Consequently, fluctuations play a dominant role in the screening process and lead to an energy exchange between the scattering particles and the surrounding plasma that depends on the e...

Why the past is sometimes perceived, and not only remembered

Valid inferences from invalid tests?

I read with interest the remarks of Reuben J. Silver, which were published in the November 2001 issue of the American Psychologist on the occasion of his receiving the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Applied Psychology as a Professional Practice. Silver took the opportunity to delineate his approach to the practice of professional psychology. He described a perspective that combines an...

Why Believe That There Is a God?

This article presents an argument for the existence of God, showing that the evident phenomena are best explained by supposing that a God causes them. The argument is based on the inductive force of four very evident general phenomena: that there is a physical Universe; that it is governed by very simple natural laws; that those laws are such as to lead to the existence of human bodies; and tha...

Why Monte Carlo Simulations Are Inferences and Not Experiments