The world is full of people that confuse contrarianism for intelligence.

HN, in particular, loves anything that allows them to discredit science (like the constant banging on about the replication crisis) and replace it with their own pet theory.

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kenjackson 3 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

I think it’s also that contrarianism generates an argument they can follow - it’s often much more simplistic along some axis. For example, flat earthers superficially have a really simple model. Throw a ball up, of course it comes down. You look straight ahead and it looks flat. Ask them how GPS works and they can’t follow the math anyways.

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simonklitj 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Is HN particularly drawn to this over other platforms? I gotta say I don’t quite recognize this. In general, I think there’s a good dose of respect for science around these parts, but maybe I’m blind to it.

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BoggleOhYeah 37 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

I see a particular strain more often here and in “rationalist”-adjacent spaces. It’s essentially anti-intellectualism dressed up as intellectual curiosity and debate.

	▲	kelipso 32 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Come on, just admit that you are not able to follow the debate instead of criticizing it from the outside without understanding it.

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stingraycharles 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I don’t think HN discredits science a lot, especially when compared to other platforms.

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thinkingtoilet 39 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

>The world is full of people that confuse contrarianism for intelligence.

I've been shouting this from the roof tops for years now and it's one of the biggest problems we face today. I live in a rural area and 100% of the Joe Rogan-ified men I know are mindless reactionaries. They aren't educated, they don't read books, they don't travel, heck, they barely leave the county. They think they're so smart because they say no to everything anyone else says. They never offer solutions. They never try to fix things. They barely even vote. If you say the sky is blue they will say it's green because they're just oh so smart. It's a massive massive problem.

	▲	kelipso 33 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		As opposed to this, you have the mindless non-contrarians who unquestioningly believe any assertion by academia or authority, which is a problem too.