Garth Zietsman
Garth Zietsman is a professional statistician who initially focused on psychological and social research at the Human Sciences Research Council, followed by banking and economics, and then medical research. Some of his research has appeared in academic journals. He has wide interests, with an emphasis on the social (including economics and politics) and life (mostly evolution, health and fitness) sciences, and philosophy. He has been involved with groups advocating liberty since 1990 and is currently consulting to the Freedom Foundation. He has written for a wide range of newspapers and journals.
Articles By This Author
Being humane, part one: the virtues and the challenges
Humanity has been moving toward ever greater rejection of needless suffering, that is, toward the humane, or, as Canadian-American psycholinguist Steven Pinker put it, “the
From cancer and IQ to crime: probability and life’s discontents
Probability is not intuitive – even for very numerate people. I have heard accountants and engineers say their stats course was the one they struggled
Better to reach for risky heights of inequality than lows of equal comfort
Friedrich Nietzsche said of socialism that it was the demand for the comfort of the greatest number of people possible. Many will no doubt say
Rescue yourself: swap phone time for serious reading
Have you ever bumped into someone marvellously erudite, full of wisdom and interesting information on a wide range of issues? On the other hand, have you ever bumped into someone who seems to have stepped straight out of the movie Idiocracy?
Is religion good for us?
Atheists and progressives routinely predict the demise of religion and traditional ways of living. Not only do they predict it, but they have also actively worked for that outcome ever since humankind first realised there were alternatives.
The price of some supposedly priceless things
Every creature has needs, and therefore values whatever meets those needs.
Slavery and the demand for reparations
In March this year the UN declared slavery “the gravest crime against humanity”, though the US voted against and every European nation abstained.
How smart was Moriarty?
Let’s face it – to the law-abiding, crime usually seems stupid. The low average IQ (92) of men in US jails supports that impression.
What’s to learn from racism in America?
Racism has become an increasingly salient issue around the world.
Ideological beliefs are about belonging, not truth
Have you ever wondered why some people simply cannot see the sense in your political views? They may be intelligent and fairly well-informed, yet they appear immune to facts, evidence and common sense. They seem to make increasingly bizarre claims about what is happening as the argument develops. Their saying the same of you simply proves their disconnection from reality.