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I wrote a comment which described the state of my knowledge, and would be fine if another commenter said they disagreed for any reason (anecdotal or evidenciary
by nickff 10y ago
I wrote a comment which described the state of my knowledge, and would be fine if another commenter said they disagreed for any reason (anecdotal or evidenciary). If the respondent had said "I looked, but could not find studies which correspond with what you are saying", I would have made more effort.
The problem behavior which I have seen cropping up on Hacker News is people asking for citations as a quick and easy way of invalidating other people's views, while justifying downvotes (which have become far too common). I have also observed that many will ask for studies, then either ignore them for viewpoint or ad hominiem reasons, or attempt to invalidate the study by nit-picking. If the original commenter lied or pulled numbers out of thin air, it is fair to call them out (in my view), but laziness on the part of the respondent is no justification for snark.
- narrowrail 10y agoApparently, some of us consider what you said to be an "extraordinary claim" requiring evidence. You are essentially saying: "Prove 'the state of my knowledge' is wrong." The burden of proof lies with the original claim maker, not the respondent. This is not a bar room conversation from the 90s, we are literally on the internet; citing one's sources isn't too much to ask.
- nickff 10y agoWhat is your standard for evidence? Without knowing that, I cannot hope to give 'conclusive evidence'. Do you have a white-list, black-list, or other standard for sources? What type of evidence would satisfy your standards, and what are the minimum sample size, maximum p-value, and robustness with respect to alternate causes? Do you require some amount of replication, peer review, or publication?
- scott_s 10y agoNo one asked for "conclusive evidence" - although, of course, it would be nice. But it's reasonable to ask for the sources that informed your view.