> On HN, it seems people like learning things from comments, even if those things might contradict what they thought was true. Occasionally, that even applies

> On HN, it seems people like learning things from comments, even if those things might contradict what they thought was true. Occasionally, that even applies to one's own comments... Just yesterday I was involved in a discussion on another thread, and in the course of searching Google Scholar for backup citations, I realized that there were actually more papers supporting the other guy's opinion. I "published" my findings anyway, even though it meant reverting (or at least drastically changing) my previous position. But I didn't mind, because I had learnt something. BTW, that also illustrates what you said about putting effort into HN comments - I can easily spend 20-30 minutes on a well thought-out (and well researched) comment. It's a reciprocal relationship: I put a lot of effort into my comments because I know a lot of other people are putting a lot of effort into their comments, and together, we build a good, worthwhile discussion... > I also read a lot on a wide variety of subjects [...] it is a lot more fun to be surrounded by people smarter than you than it is to be the smartest person. I feel exactly the same. HN provides many smart people talking about many different subjects. What a great opportunity to learn something!