4 ms·

Perhaps it is used to stop thinking in some other circumstances, but I don't think that's what's happening here. When people make three-sentence internet comme

by zazen 8y ago

Perhaps it is used to stop thinking in some other circumstances, but I don't think that's what's happening here. When people make three-sentence internet comments featuring the phrase "Why don't we just", they often appear to have not yet _started_ thinking about the answer to their own question. I think it's fair to prompt them not to outsource all their thinking to the forum.

xg15 8y ago
You can discuss whether or not it's "fair", but it probably won't motivate anyone to start thinking. I think it comes over as the opposite: Obviously I can't grasp the complexity of the whole world, so if that is the prerequisite to proposing any kind of solution to a problem, I might as well give up. A more useful response would be to give reasons why the "why can't we just" solution wouldn't work. (The GP indeed gave reasons) What is the purpose of a forum if not discussion and getting (positive or negative) feedback on your views so you can improve them?
- zazen 8y ago
  I think we have similar hopes for quality discussion in forums. And I certainly agree that a thoughtful response giving reasons why it's not as simple as "why can't we just" is more useful - assuming anyone feels inclined to write that response. The problem I see is the following. The person who wrote the "why can't we just" has done next to no thinking of his own as to why the situation might be more complicated than his first thought suggests, but it goes beyond that. Someone who writes "why don't we just" is sending the signal that they're emotionally committed to the position that the solution _should_ be simple. If I take a deep breath and write a long, careful reply in response to the short, lazy "why don't we just" post, I'm not only taking on all the burden of thinking about the topic at hand, but there's every risk this will just be thrown back in my face by the poster who wants a shortcut to a simple answer. A "why don't we just" post has a poor chance of leading to a good discussion, and I think there will be overall more beneficial discussion on a forum if they are discouraged. Some people are intellectually lazy. I think this is because it's easier to feel smarter when you think less. If there's a solution that seems obvious to Mr. A and he assumes everyone who missed it is a bozo, then Mr. A feels like a smart guy. If someone else comes along and starts telling Mr. A that actually it's not so simple, and there are reasons why the "obvious" solution isn't actually a full applicable solution, then Mr. A has to think harder, only to feel less smart as a result. A lot of people resist that. I don't know the full solution of how to inspire such people to start thinking more, but I think some push-back some of the time is part of the answer. A bit like when people come to stack overflow and ask for their homework to be done for them: it's good if they're prodded to try _something_ for themselves. Being "nice" and just doing their homework for them wouldn't be optimal. Yes, "the world is complex" might not be ideal phrasing if you think it implies someone needs to grasp the entirety of that complexity. But I'm sure the poster who wrote that only meant to encourage Mr "why don't we just" to _start_ considering the complexity of the world.

by zazen 8y ago

xg15 8y ago

You can discuss whether or not it's "fair", but it probably won't motivate anyone to start thinking. I think it comes over as the opposite: Obviously I can't grasp the complexity of the whole world, so if that is the prerequisite to proposing any kind of solution to a problem, I might as well give up. A more useful response would be to give reasons why the "why can't we just" solution wouldn't work. (The GP indeed gave reasons) What is the purpose of a forum if not discussion and getting (positive or negative) feedback on your views so you can improve them?

zazen 8y ago
I think we have similar hopes for quality discussion in forums. And I certainly agree that a thoughtful response giving reasons why it's not as simple as "why can't we just" is more useful - assuming anyone feels inclined to write that response. The problem I see is the following. The person who wrote the "why can't we just" has done next to no thinking of his own as to why the situation might be more complicated than his first thought suggests, but it goes beyond that. Someone who writes "why don't we just" is sending the signal that they're emotionally committed to the position that the solution _should_ be simple. If I take a deep breath and write a long, careful reply in response to the short, lazy "why don't we just" post, I'm not only taking on all the burden of thinking about the topic at hand, but there's every risk this will just be thrown back in my face by the poster who wants a shortcut to a simple answer. A "why don't we just" post has a poor chance of leading to a good discussion, and I think there will be overall more beneficial discussion on a forum if they are discouraged. Some people are intellectually lazy. I think this is because it's easier to feel smarter when you think less. If there's a solution that seems obvious to Mr. A and he assumes everyone who missed it is a bozo, then Mr. A feels like a smart guy. If someone else comes along and starts telling Mr. A that actually it's not so simple, and there are reasons why the "obvious" solution isn't actually a full applicable solution, then Mr. A has to think harder, only to feel less smart as a result. A lot of people resist that. I don't know the full solution of how to inspire such people to start thinking more, but I think some push-back some of the time is part of the answer. A bit like when people come to stack overflow and ask for their homework to be done for them: it's good if they're prodded to try _something_ for themselves. Being "nice" and just doing their homework for them wouldn't be optimal. Yes, "the world is complex" might not be ideal phrasing if you think it implies someone needs to grasp the entirety of that complexity. But I'm sure the poster who wrote that only meant to encourage Mr "why don't we just" to _start_ considering the complexity of the world.