What the author describes is not shifting goalposts. Shifting goalposts is only a useful concept in a defined project or where someone has set a criteria for ac

What the author describes is not shifting goalposts. Shifting goalposts is only a useful concept in a defined project or where someone has set a criteria for acceptance. E.g “I will wash the dishes if you clean the kitchen” becomes “oh I meant you also needed to clean the fridge and take out the trash” is shifting goalposts. If someone had said e.g. “I will consume one pound of aspartame if limited trials show it not to be a carcinogen” and then that came to pass and they didn’t, that would be shifting the goalposts. What people are saying here is “I don’t trust aspartame” and scientists are saying yeah, we should really check some obvious areas where it seems to be connected to health issues since it is an evolutionarily novel substance. Author is maybe over extrapolating from interactions with their own friends or family.