I feel compelled to respond to one particular point: Yes, you can LOOK UP facts for yourself rather than rely on the vote count of a comment. But honestly, the

I feel compelled to respond to one particular point: Yes, you can LOOK UP facts for yourself rather than rely on the vote count of a comment. But honestly, the expansive tome of information that is HN is not just a series of threaded facts. There is a vast amount of advice, warnings, interpretations, and arguments based on deep experiences and personal trials that are not subject to a simple Google search. We hold up individual critical thinking to such high esteem that we seem to dismiss the value in the collected opinions of others.