Over at The Skeptical Zone Elizabeth Liddle has weighed in on the “coins on the table” issue I raised in this post. Readers will remember the simple question I asked: If you came across a table on which was set 500 coins (no tossing involved) and all 500 coins displayed the “heads” side of the coin, how on earth would you test “chance” as a hypothesis to explain this particular configuration of coins on a table? Dr. Liddle’s answer: Chance is not an explanation, and therefore cannot be rejected, or supported, as a hypothesis. Staggering. Gobsmacking. Astounding. Superlatives fail me. Not only is Dr. Liddle’s statement false, it is the exact opposite of the truth. Indeed, pharmaceutical companies, to name … Continue reading Yes, Lizzie, Chance is Very Often an Explanation