Re:How to Think for Yourself
by whimsicalism on Friday November 27, 2020 @11:59AM
(#25230338)
> It seems to me that claiming you’re independent-minded is sort of like claiming you’re a genius. You’re not supposed to make this claim yourself. Graham doesn’t make this claim explicitly, but by writing about this subject he makes it implicitly.
I think that is one reason to react against the essay, but not really.
My problem is fundamentally that it seems like, with the rise of VC worship (I really don't know what else to call it), people now take the pseudo-sociological observations of their VC heroes as fact or at least very close to fact.
Given that we're pretty incredibly shitty at social sciences, even when trying to do it rigorously, I don't understand why I would start giving strong weight to someone who is just pondering in a wall of text about sociological phenomenons/models that I have no reason to believe are how the world actually works.
Re:How to Think for Yourself
by skybrian on Friday November 27, 2020 @12:22PM
(#25230558)
I’m too isolated to say how many people engage in “VC-worship” but in any case, I don’t believe this is limited to VC’s? Confident explanations of social issues are everywhere and there are other popular authors of them.
I think that is one reason to react against the essay, but not really.
My problem is fundamentally that it seems like, with the rise of VC worship (I really don't know what else to call it), people now take the pseudo-sociological observations of their VC heroes as fact or at least very close to fact.
Given that we're pretty incredibly shitty at social sciences, even when trying to do it rigorously, I don't understand why I would start giving strong weight to someone who is just pondering in a wall of text about sociological phenomenons/models that I have no reason to believe are how the world actually works.