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HN has decent technical discussions and some really good historical/personal anecdotes. Otherwise, it falls short and lacks in ideological diversity. And there

HN has decent technical discussions and some really good historical/personal anecdotes. Otherwise, it falls short and lacks in ideological diversity. And there is also bullshit here.

shwaj 3y ago
What wound proper ideological diversity look like? Or, which ideologies are underrepresented which would make this a better place, in your opinion? It doesn’t seem like a monoculture to me: depending on the topic there is usually at least two or three significantly different viewpoints. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have more, but it doesn’t jump out at me as a glaring deficiency.
- consilient 3y ago
  HN is strongly inclined towards "unreflective instrumentalism". From "Three Kinds of Anti-Intellectualism: Rethinking Hofstadter": > A third type of anti-intellectualism implied in Hofstadter’s analysis may be termed unreflective instrumentalism, defined here as the devaluation of forms of thought that do not promise relatively immediate practical payoffs. In its narrow conception of practicality, instrumentalism suppresses questions about the ends toward which practical and efficient means are directed... > ...The hostility of an instrumentalist business culture toward intellect expresses not only an impatience with ideas that are deemed impractical or utopian but also a disdain for purely theoretical inquiry as a valuable activity in its own right. Theoretical scientists, for example, are called upon to demonstrate practical applications of their work, and esoteric research is held up to public ridicule with the award of the Golden Fleece. Scientists are sometimes provoked to argue for the value of their research on the grounds that it may eventually yield useful outcomes that are not immediately apparent, producing in their own behalf testimonial examples from the history of science. That such defenses are necessary in the competitive struggle for research dollars is indicative of the power of instrumental criteria to define the direction in which scientific and other kinds of knowledge will be allowed to grow... > ...Likewise, liberal education is increasingly defended on instrumental grounds. The liberal arts graduate is presumed to possess skills in analyzing, synthesizing, organizing and communicating complex ideas, skills that are (as we now say) marketable in the corporate environment of the post-industrial society. The phrase “ivory tower” has become an almost universal term of contempt. Beyond the ivory tower, it seems, lies a university-industrial complex in which intellect is seen principally as a useful problem-solving tool.

HN has decent technical discussions and some really good historical/personal anecdotes. Otherwise, it falls short and lacks in ideological diversity. And there is also bullshit here.

shwaj 3y ago

What wound proper ideological diversity look like? Or, which ideologies are underrepresented which would make this a better place, in your opinion? It doesn’t seem like a monoculture to me: depending on the topic there is usually at least two or three significantly different viewpoints. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have more, but it doesn’t jump out at me as a glaring deficiency.

consilient 3y ago
HN is strongly inclined towards "unreflective instrumentalism". From "Three Kinds of Anti-Intellectualism: Rethinking Hofstadter": > A third type of anti-intellectualism implied in Hofstadter’s analysis may be termed unreflective instrumentalism, defined here as the devaluation of forms of thought that do not promise relatively immediate practical payoffs. In its narrow conception of practicality, instrumentalism suppresses questions about the ends toward which practical and efficient means are directed... > ...The hostility of an instrumentalist business culture toward intellect expresses not only an impatience with ideas that are deemed impractical or utopian but also a disdain for purely theoretical inquiry as a valuable activity in its own right. Theoretical scientists, for example, are called upon to demonstrate practical applications of their work, and esoteric research is held up to public ridicule with the award of the Golden Fleece. Scientists are sometimes provoked to argue for the value of their research on the grounds that it may eventually yield useful outcomes that are not immediately apparent, producing in their own behalf testimonial examples from the history of science. That such defenses are necessary in the competitive struggle for research dollars is indicative of the power of instrumental criteria to define the direction in which scientific and other kinds of knowledge will be allowed to grow... > ...Likewise, liberal education is increasingly defended on instrumental grounds. The liberal arts graduate is presumed to possess skills in analyzing, synthesizing, organizing and communicating complex ideas, skills that are (as we now say) marketable in the corporate environment of the post-industrial society. The phrase “ivory tower” has become an almost universal term of contempt. Beyond the ivory tower, it seems, lies a university-industrial complex in which intellect is seen principally as a useful problem-solving tool.