4 ms·

It’s kind of funny to watch the following conversations both recur regularly here on HN: - The replication crisis means most science is bad and we should be ex

It’s kind of funny to watch the following conversations both recur regularly here on HN: - The replication crisis means most science is bad and we should be extremely skeptical of scientific consensus. - This one single scientific paper changes everything and you are negligent if you don’t immediately change your life based on it.

wnevets 2y ago
> This one single scientific paper changes everything and you are negligent if you don’t immediately change your life based on it but it confirms my current bias so it must be true!
- 6510 2y ago
  That is not how it works. You should ask if being for or against is more socially accepted. If everyone cooks in teflon it must be double plus good for your health.
  - potato3732842 2y ago
    Surely by "everyone" you mean "demographics I identify with".
timeon 2y ago
It would be funny if it was done by same people but are we sure it is the case? Is 'HN' homogeneous crowd?
- potato3732842 2y ago
  At some point a behavior or pattern becomes so reliable or so frequent that it's a valid criticism of the community as a whole.
  - reducesuffering 2y ago
    " - This one single scientific paper changes everything and you are negligent if you don’t immediately change your life based on it." Is not a reliable, frequent, pattern that is in any way a valid criticism of the community as a whole. Incredible
    - potato3732842 2y ago
      What you're quoting is satire of serious commentary. Few people unironically take it to such an extreme. But the undertone it's mocking is absolutely real and persistent. Not everyone on 4chan is a flaming bigot but yet the community as a while gets (rightfully) judged for allowing it in their midst. Why are lesser forms of poor behavior not also reflective of the community?
      - reducesuffering 2y ago
        Ah the ol' satire defense. Even a watered-down version of that isn't reflective of a large majority of the people here, so your statement still doesn't stand. Everywhere else, HN has a reputation for being hyper-critical and dismissive of almost everything. So much so, that this article which is essentially "don't burn plastic" has many, many comments discussing caveats, the single study, and vagueness...
sickofparadox 2y ago
To be fair to people, it is INCREDIBLY difficult to cope with the fact that a plurality or even most papers that come out may be found to be completely un-reproducible. For low stakes things like getting rid of a plastic spatula or cutting board, there is a sub-$20 cost to get rid of them and believe it is right (even if it ends up being wrong), while the cost of not believing and the paper being right is a massively increased chance of cancer. Science will likely never have its reckoning with reality, people will just believe in it less and less until it becomes background noise like everything else.
- marcosdumay 2y ago
  > there is a sub-$20 cost Plus the risk of the alternative you pick being much worse than the original option.
  - svachalek 2y ago
    For some things maybe, but usually there's an option where the risk is pretty negligible. I feel pretty confident we're not going to declare wooden spatulas to be a massive health concern.
    - gjhan 2y ago
      Why?
    - gav 2y ago
      There's a risk for wooden ones that are glued, specifically bamboo, or finished with something toxic. You should probably stick to ones made from a single piece of hardwood and are unfinished. There's also a risk that any cracks will fill with bacteria.
      - 6510 2y ago
        I think you've unknowingly debunked non-stick layers. Should make it from RVS.
      - 2y ago
hilux 2y ago
Gell-Man amnesia effect! (Or very similar ...)

wnevets 2y ago

> This one single scientific paper changes everything and you are negligent if you don’t immediately change your life based on it but it confirms my current bias so it must be true!

6510 2y ago
That is not how it works. You should ask if being for or against is more socially accepted. If everyone cooks in teflon it must be double plus good for your health.
- potato3732842 2y ago
  Surely by "everyone" you mean "demographics I identify with".

timeon 2y ago

It would be funny if it was done by same people but are we sure it is the case? Is 'HN' homogeneous crowd?

potato3732842 2y ago
At some point a behavior or pattern becomes so reliable or so frequent that it's a valid criticism of the community as a whole.
- reducesuffering 2y ago
  " - This one single scientific paper changes everything and you are negligent if you don’t immediately change your life based on it." Is not a reliable, frequent, pattern that is in any way a valid criticism of the community as a whole. Incredible
  - potato3732842 2y ago
    What you're quoting is satire of serious commentary. Few people unironically take it to such an extreme. But the undertone it's mocking is absolutely real and persistent. Not everyone on 4chan is a flaming bigot but yet the community as a while gets (rightfully) judged for allowing it in their midst. Why are lesser forms of poor behavior not also reflective of the community?
    - reducesuffering 2y ago
      Ah the ol' satire defense. Even a watered-down version of that isn't reflective of a large majority of the people here, so your statement still doesn't stand. Everywhere else, HN has a reputation for being hyper-critical and dismissive of almost everything. So much so, that this article which is essentially "don't burn plastic" has many, many comments discussing caveats, the single study, and vagueness...

sickofparadox 2y ago

To be fair to people, it is INCREDIBLY difficult to cope with the fact that a plurality or even most papers that come out may be found to be completely un-reproducible. For low stakes things like getting rid of a plastic spatula or cutting board, there is a sub-$20 cost to get rid of them and believe it is right (even if it ends up being wrong), while the cost of not believing and the paper being right is a massively increased chance of cancer. Science will likely never have its reckoning with reality, people will just believe in it less and less until it becomes background noise like everything else.

marcosdumay 2y ago
> there is a sub-$20 cost Plus the risk of the alternative you pick being much worse than the original option.
- svachalek 2y ago
  For some things maybe, but usually there's an option where the risk is pretty negligible. I feel pretty confident we're not going to declare wooden spatulas to be a massive health concern.
  - gjhan 2y ago
    Why?
  - gav 2y ago
    There's a risk for wooden ones that are glued, specifically bamboo, or finished with something toxic. You should probably stick to ones made from a single piece of hardwood and are unfinished. There's also a risk that any cracks will fill with bacteria.
    - 6510 2y ago
      I think you've unknowingly debunked non-stick layers. Should make it from RVS.
    - 2y ago

hilux 2y ago

Gell-Man amnesia effect! (Or very similar ...)