Because of the press secretary, we’re bad at evaluating our own ideas. But we’re excellent at evaluating the ideas of others. Our minds are inherently justificatory about their own ideas, and argumentative about the ideas of others. The geek norm of science is all about arguing. It also specifies how to win arguments: with evidence. Not seniority or charisma or past performance or rhetoric or philosophizing or appeals to morality or aesthetics, but evidence. For the norm of science, the ultimate geek ground rule is: Conduct evidence-based arguments so that the group makes better decisions and
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