Bill Cypher
2d ago
In Outside the Laboratory on Less Wrong they give the example of a sheperd who counts sheep perfectly but fails to count a handful of apples. They haven't learned the skill of counting in a generalized way. For them counting is a magic incantation for tracking sheep that they do not understand.
I see people skeptical to no end about seed oils despite hundreds of studies saying they are healthy. Then I see them fall over themselves to replace their LEDs with incandescent bulbs because an influencer mentions 1 study about color temperature. Both incandescent and LEDs are sold in the same range of color temperatures at every store. You can buy very blue incandescent bulbs and LEDs with very little blue. You can even buy LEDs that are adjustable to your preferred color temperature in that moment, blue in the morning and orange at night. It isn't decided for you by the light type and 30 seconds reading the packaging would make that clear.
Those people haven't learned critical thinking about science as a generalized skill. They have memorized a set of magic incantations for noting the faults in scientific studies on a single narrow subject.
I'm hoping when I point out the fault in health influencer SCieNce I'm helping people to generalize the skill of bad science skepticism.
Mostly I think it gets me unfollowed by people who just wanted their confirmation bias tickled for a decision they already made. Worth it if I help one person think for themselves.
I see people skeptical to no end about seed oils despite hundreds of studies saying they are healthy. Then I see them fall over themselves to replace their LEDs with incandescent bulbs because an influencer mentions 1 study about color temperature. Both incandescent and LEDs are sold in the same range of color temperatures at every store. You can buy very blue incandescent bulbs and LEDs with very little blue. You can even buy LEDs that are adjustable to your preferred color temperature in that moment, blue in the morning and orange at night. It isn't decided for you by the light type and 30 seconds reading the packaging would make that clear.
Those people haven't learned critical thinking about science as a generalized skill. They have memorized a set of magic incantations for noting the faults in scientific studies on a single narrow subject.
I'm hoping when I point out the fault in health influencer SCieNce I'm helping people to generalize the skill of bad science skepticism.
Mostly I think it gets me unfollowed by people who just wanted their confirmation bias tickled for a decision they already made. Worth it if I help one person think for themselves.
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Replies
Hazey
@Hazey
2d ago
I have read many scientific papers about seed oils that do not address health, only techniques to make them surpass the body's natural mechanisms of repulsion.
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Bill Cypher
@Bill Cypher
2d ago
I'm not saying that seed oils are good. I'm saying there is a fair amount of cover up done by the producers of those oils. To see through it takes a little effort. Somewhere around an algebra shepherd.
Then I see people on here falling for a single tiny study taken way out of context.
Watching Algebra shepherd fail to count three apples would be frustrating for someone who can count as a general skill. I find myself wanting to yell at my phone "did you take 2 minutes to read the abstract of the study they cited to support that snake oil BS?"
Then I see people on here falling for a single tiny study taken way out of context.
Watching Algebra shepherd fail to count three apples would be frustrating for someone who can count as a general skill. I find myself wanting to yell at my phone "did you take 2 minutes to read the abstract of the study they cited to support that snake oil BS?"
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