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> would rather read people's stories about what happened to them. Recommended reading is useful too. Logic hardly matters, give me the data it's based on. At w
by defertoreptar 7y ago
> would rather read people's stories about what happened to them. Recommended reading is useful too. Logic hardly matters, give me the data it's based on.
At which point, you're drawing a conclusion. I like to hear people's stories and firsthand experiences, too. They help us get into the shoes of someone else and get a new perspective. However, I take them for what they are: anecdotes. If we want to draw some conclusion or insight from the data, then we must apply reasoning.
- skybrian 7y agoYes, but since I trust my own reasoning over a random Internet commenter, there's little value in reading someone else's conclusions. To put it another way, a well-written argument often calls on evidence that can be interesting and useful even if you disagree with the conclusion. But the conclusion of an anonymous commenter can't be trusted without the supporting evidence. And yet, many people think that if they state their conclusions louder, or turn them into a clever slogan, others will be compelled to listen to them. This happens especially when these conclusions become "conventional wisdom" in some community.