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That's true, but I don't think it's a problem. That's a question that just has two separate intentions, and even the world's foremost expert on Easter could giv

by deong 10y ago

That's true, but I don't think it's a problem. That's a question that just has two separate intentions, and even the world's foremost expert on Easter could give you the wrong one. If Google were as good as the best human experts at answering any question, then I think we'd have to declare victory and live with the occasional miscommunication, just as we do today.

DanielBMarkham 10y ago
I think the crux of the issue is that real experts in any area, when presented with a question in their field, will answer "That depends" and then engage you in a conversation that ends with you being more knowledgeable about the specific question you should have asked, and why. This is because most areas of human endeavor aren't solid sciences like physics, although for most day-to-day activity we treat them as if they were. I do not care about the nuances of Easter as long as I can get the flowers delivered to my grandma on the correct day. But I do care about the nuances in a ton of other situations, and the dividing line isn't so clear. Simply BSing an answer that's good enough for most cases actually ends up hurting the rest of us more than it helps us. For lack of a better term, it's fake facts.
- thwarted 10y ago
  I think the crux of the issue is that real experts in any area, when presented with a question in their field, will answer "That depends" and then engage you in a conversation that ends with you being more knowledgeable about the specific question you should have asked, and why. While I actively encourage this method of inquiry and information acquisition, I've found that people often don't care to know why their question isn't even wrong, and challenging it leads to a defensive posture. This conversation is only keeping them from getting an answer and the expert risks being labeled as "uncooperative" because they refuse to provide an answer. This is a social problem, and it won't have a technical solution.

by deong 10y ago

DanielBMarkham 10y ago

I think the crux of the issue is that real experts in any area, when presented with a question in their field, will answer "That depends" and then engage you in a conversation that ends with you being more knowledgeable about the specific question you should have asked, and why. This is because most areas of human endeavor aren't solid sciences like physics, although for most day-to-day activity we treat them as if they were. I do not care about the nuances of Easter as long as I can get the flowers delivered to my grandma on the correct day. But I do care about the nuances in a ton of other situations, and the dividing line isn't so clear. Simply BSing an answer that's good enough for most cases actually ends up hurting the rest of us more than it helps us. For lack of a better term, it's fake facts.

thwarted 10y ago
I think the crux of the issue is that real experts in any area, when presented with a question in their field, will answer "That depends" and then engage you in a conversation that ends with you being more knowledgeable about the specific question you should have asked, and why. While I actively encourage this method of inquiry and information acquisition, I've found that people often don't care to know why their question isn't even wrong, and challenging it leads to a defensive posture. This conversation is only keeping them from getting an answer and the expert risks being labeled as "uncooperative" because they refuse to provide an answer. This is a social problem, and it won't have a technical solution.