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mapontoseventhsyesterday at 1:48 PM1 replyview on HN

> Don't take anybodies word, look at the evidence for yourself.

Please nobody listen to his person. There is nothing scientific about ignoring the experts to instead behold the opinions of the uninformed.

The world is too large, too complex, and too nuanced for the layman's opinion to be worth much. When someone is unqualified treat their opinion as equal to every other unqualified persons opinion. Include your own in that assessment. Be honest, what qualifications do you have that make your assessment of the evidence more valid than any other random street person's in the given field? It's very likely the answer is "none". So lend your own opinion the level of respect it has earned. Be honest with yourself about what that level is.

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” ― Isaac Asimov


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parineumyesterday at 5:08 PM

> The world is too large, too complex, and too nuanced for the layman's opinion to be worth much.

This has a very, "Trust us, we're with the government." feel to it.

I enjoy Asimov's writing immensely but if you think quotations are some kind of mic drop, I'll leave you with this one.

"The question then is not whether or not a girl should be touched. The question is merely where, when, and how she should be touched" ― Isaac Asimov

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