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Klaus's avatar

Some people just aren't ready for the adult table. It's hard to analyze empirical evidence and create reasoned arguments, but it's much easier to dismiss your opponents as evil.

"I don't agree with that police reform idea" gets interpreted as "I don't care about police abuse."

"I don't think that economic policy will work" gets interpreted as "I don't care if poor people starve."

"I don't think that COVID policy passes a cost-benefit analysis" gets interpreted as "I don't care if millions of people die from COVID."

"I don't think that climate policy is optimal" gets interpreted as "I don't think climate change is real."

etc etc. And apparently my mixed views on the Ukraine-Russia conflict make me both a CIA and Putin shill, yet I haven't gotten a check from either? What's up with that?

I don't use Twitter or Reddit for much beyond hockey, board games, and memes at this point, since so few people seem capable of even rudimentary argumentation. What's extra sad is that many of these people have college degrees, which shows the increasing uselessness of those instructions.

I've learned to appreciate libertarianism. I'm not a fan of it's political goals; I'd prefer the median sci-fi dystopia over a libertarian society. However, they've clearly thought it through, and generally have arguments and counter-argument and counter-counter-arguments for their positions. Most political movements can't say the same.

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Heyjude's avatar

We have given up on evidence based truths, based on outcomes, a long time ago. We now operate in what philosophers call "closed systems"; that is, no possible evidence can negate the truth of the initial premises. All contrary evidence is interpreted under the assumption that the initial premise is true.

In such a system, bad outcomes for child transition will only mean that the transition was not done early enough. We need to start earlier! We haven't invested enough funds in making sure this works! The bad outcomes are only caused by those evil anti-trans people! And on and on...

This is how we have dealt with every obvious failure over the last century. The philosophies and premises are not wrong. The overwhelming evidence that they don't work is really just evidence that these brilliant ideas were not properly implemented. So spend more, start earlier, pass more and more laws and so on. And when they still don't work, of course it can only be due to the moral failings of those who don't agree with the experts who know their ideas are right.

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