3 ms·

That reading doesn't make much sense though, because it was toxicity in a group working in a very different context: hep-th and hep-ex are such different fields

That reading doesn't make much sense though, because it was toxicity in a group working in a very different context: hep-th and hep-ex are such different fields by now they had to formally create positions for people bridging the two subjects. He could just as well used the story about the PhD student in computer science studying in Florida that committed suicide because their supervisor was trying to force them to publish incorrect results. (And then added how smug they felt about that group not getting awards).

skhunted 3y ago
I don't understand your points. Obviously the person was stating their anecdotal experience and how it made them feel. We engage in similar reasoning. We make decisions and draw conclusions based on our experience. It's a not a mathematical proof where the person is proving that the entire field is toxic. They are glad they got out of there.
- dambi0 3y ago
  The anecdote doesn’t reveal a great deal about toxicity though does it?
  - Nevermark 3y ago
    The list of things the anecdote doesn't reveal must surely be infinite. Do we need to list them? I thought it was very interesting.
    - dambi0 3y ago
      The anecdote claims to offer something about toxicity, it seems reasonable to consider whether it achieves this.
      - kergonath 3y ago
        Maybe I missed something but I don’t see where they claim to offer anything, so I don’t see why they should try adhering to this (completely unreasonable) standard. Besides, the anecdote actually offers something: a perspective from someone who escaped the grinder just in time. I don’t have a cohort study at hand, but I know both first- and second-hand that the situation described is not the norm, but all too common. In such cases, the correct response is what was described: jump ship whilst you can. You don’t need a double blind study to demonstrate this when simple logic is enough.
        dambi0 3y ago
        Perhaps we are using claim in different ways. In the anecdote the author claims that the former group was toxic and that this was one of the reasons that influenced choosing a different group. There are two claims about toxic behaviour. They are not the only claims, topics, or other interesting things one could draw from it.

skhunted 3y ago

I don't understand your points. Obviously the person was stating their anecdotal experience and how it made them feel. We engage in similar reasoning. We make decisions and draw conclusions based on our experience. It's a not a mathematical proof where the person is proving that the entire field is toxic. They are glad they got out of there.

dambi0 3y ago
The anecdote doesn’t reveal a great deal about toxicity though does it?
- Nevermark 3y ago
  The list of things the anecdote doesn't reveal must surely be infinite. Do we need to list them? I thought it was very interesting.
  - dambi0 3y ago
    The anecdote claims to offer something about toxicity, it seems reasonable to consider whether it achieves this.
    - kergonath 3y ago
      Maybe I missed something but I don’t see where they claim to offer anything, so I don’t see why they should try adhering to this (completely unreasonable) standard. Besides, the anecdote actually offers something: a perspective from someone who escaped the grinder just in time. I don’t have a cohort study at hand, but I know both first- and second-hand that the situation described is not the norm, but all too common. In such cases, the correct response is what was described: jump ship whilst you can. You don’t need a double blind study to demonstrate this when simple logic is enough.
      - dambi0 3y ago
        Perhaps we are using claim in different ways. In the anecdote the author claims that the former group was toxic and that this was one of the reasons that influenced choosing a different group. There are two claims about toxic behaviour. They are not the only claims, topics, or other interesting things one could draw from it.