Probably true. I'm probably suffering from some kind of temporary airport-bookstore-induced dementia which is making me particularly intolerant to this particular genre.
Re:Joel on Software: Anecdotes
by run4yourlives on Wednesday November 19, 2008 @12:52AM
(#369212)
Well, I'll give you the recent explosion of opinions on how our world works, that's for sure. It's getting people to do what they should have been doing in high-school though, which is think about why things are the way they are.
There are different stages of the journey, I suppose.
Every single one of us is a collection of anecdotes, personal experiences and gathered data. Every single viewpoint ever held by every single person is a theory based on such a collection.
You aren't honestly suggesting that those opinions that are based more on the first two than the latter are completely invalid, thus unworthy of being shared?
Sure, books like the ones you describe - and in fact I'd posit at least 80% of your own blog posts, if not more - are more heavily invested in anecdote than they are proper data. They, and the conclusions they present are nonetheless valid pieces of information and help build a balanced view that is continually evolving.
The world is simply too complex a place to gather hard data on every possible subject matter before forming an opinion or articulating a theory. Some of the most outlandish theories in history - evolution, string theory, climate change all come to mind - start from anecdote and observation prior to being supported by hard facts and abundant data.