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> You should actually thank the critic for bringing the issue to your attention, because in doing so, he helped you. Heckling is not "helping." Nobody wants to

> You should actually thank the critic for bringing the issue to your attention, because in doing so, he helped you. Heckling is not "helping." Nobody wants to be humiliated by public criticism they weren't prepared for, which may or may not itself be valid-- but a poor response from the presenter makes one look incompetent in front of their peers nonetheless. Callouts are sadistic and unprofessional. That anyone should thank someone for punching them in the face as criticism for not seeing it coming is ludicrous. It's bully logic.

bondarchuk 4y ago
You very quickly went from "criticism" in the parent post to "heckling", "humiliated", "callouts", "sadistic", "punching them in the face", "bully". Criticism doesn't have to be any of those things.
- qubex 4y ago
  I’ll go further and say that criticism is _none_ of those things and that conflating is tantamount to scaremongering with a straw man. An academic must be prepared to defend his research. An academic must be willing to change their mind when information warrants it. A researcher must expect and even welcome queries, challenges, and deep questions. A member of the academic community must politely but rigorously criticise presented research or theories because science is based on cordial mutual doubt, that’s why we insist on independent replication and verification. Play fair but don’t be deferential. And don’t tarry every critic with the epithets of heckling. It’s called academic debate, without it you have progress, just polite mutually-reinforcing deference that advances human knowledge and technology one iota.
  - xyzzyz 4y ago
    I agree with you completely. What makes me sad, however, is that you describe the ideal of academia I had in my mind when I was entering academia, which simply no longer exists, if it ever had. Academia is not focused on the pursuit of the truth anymore, and we get to watch its value and reputation decay and die in front of our eyes.

bondarchuk 4y ago

You very quickly went from "criticism" in the parent post to "heckling", "humiliated", "callouts", "sadistic", "punching them in the face", "bully". Criticism doesn't have to be any of those things.

qubex 4y ago
I’ll go further and say that criticism is _none_ of those things and that conflating is tantamount to scaremongering with a straw man. An academic must be prepared to defend his research. An academic must be willing to change their mind when information warrants it. A researcher must expect and even welcome queries, challenges, and deep questions. A member of the academic community must politely but rigorously criticise presented research or theories because science is based on cordial mutual doubt, that’s why we insist on independent replication and verification. Play fair but don’t be deferential. And don’t tarry every critic with the epithets of heckling. It’s called academic debate, without it you have progress, just polite mutually-reinforcing deference that advances human knowledge and technology one iota.
- xyzzyz 4y ago
  I agree with you completely. What makes me sad, however, is that you describe the ideal of academia I had in my mind when I was entering academia, which simply no longer exists, if it ever had. Academia is not focused on the pursuit of the truth anymore, and we get to watch its value and reputation decay and die in front of our eyes.