Ask HN: Getting started in biology with a software background

Re:Ask HN: Getting started in biology with a software backgr... by mindcrime on Thursday October 31, 2019 @12:59PM (#21410942)

Saying that most PhDs you worked with are idiots

The person you are replying to did not say that.

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Re:Ask HN: Getting started in biology with a software backgr... by goatlover on Thursday October 31, 2019 @01:05PM (#21411025)

But they did say "many of them are idiots", which is similar and rather arrogant. I don't trust people who claim their colleagues and classmates are idiots. Dunning-Kruger effect and hubris being what they are.

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Re:Ask HN: Getting started in biology with a software backgr... by mindcrime on Thursday October 31, 2019 @01:10PM (#21411107)

But they did say "many of them are idiots", which is similar

Similar, yes. But, at least to my mind, there's a pretty big jump from "many" to "most". But maybe that's just me. shrug

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Re:Ask HN: Getting started in biology with a software backgr... by xeromal on Thursday October 31, 2019 @02:44PM (#21412219)

Mot really, many still sounds like more than 50%. That's a huge claim

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Re:Ask HN: Getting started in biology with a software backgr... by blotter_paper on Thursday October 31, 2019 @09:12PM (#21415429)

Nope, we have a separate word for that: most.

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Re:Ask HN: Getting started in biology with a software backgr... by haolez on Thursday October 31, 2019 @01:22PM (#21411279)

If the performance of those PhDs were extremely subpar to the point of hindering the research altogether, what sentence would you use to describe this situation?

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Re:Ask HN: Getting started in biology with a software backgr... by dekhn on Thursday October 31, 2019 @01:10PM (#21411108)

I think that's what they said, slightly paraphrased: "I've published papers in bio and worked with many PhDs. Many of them were idiots"

I have no interest in arguing about the interpretation of that sentence.

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Re:Ask HN: Getting started in biology with a software backgr... by mindcrime on Thursday October 31, 2019 @01:12PM (#21411129)

I have no interest in arguing about the interpretation of that sentence.

Then don't "interpret" anything. The person who wrote that sentence explicitly said "many" and not "most". Barring some evidence to the contrary, the sensible thing to do is take it literally, no interpretation necessary.

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Re:Ask HN: Getting started in biology with a software backgr... by dekhn on Thursday October 31, 2019 @01:18PM (#21411233)

I changed the text from "most" to "many" to more closely match. This seems like a fairly pedantic thing to complain about, not really contributing to the substance of my argument.

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