I went more in depth in another reply: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41788460

Thank you! That clears it up, makes sense. It sounds like a different thing than what the other person was talking about.

I don't have personal experience either way - I see both of you saying the thing you're talking about exists and the thing the other doesn't. Is it possible both are happening? How would you know if the other isn't?

It's definitely possible some people do wrong stuff. I wouldn't trust people not to mess things up badly sometimes. But if you intend to criticize the whole discipline, you can't base your analysis only its failures.

If there isn't a reliable way of knowing whether its failures or its successes are the exception, I can see why this is a frustrating issue. Especially since both positions of for and against the approach ultimately have the same aim. The only real solution I see is solid data, but for something this complex and multifaceted that doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon.