6 ms·
I don't think your comment addresses what I actually said. I wrote that I don't think there's a single correct answer to the question of "trust the experts or m
by tenaciousDaniel 5y ago
I don't think your comment addresses what I actually said. I wrote that I don't think there's a single correct answer to the question of "trust the experts or my own instinct" that applies to all situations. Your example about seatbelts is simply an example of a scenario in which you would likely want to defer to expert opinion.
edit: Also, the case of seatbelts vs no-seatbelts is a fairly easy example, because the evidence is readily available through life experience. I think most people know someone who was injured or killed by not wearing one (I knew a few). So you don't even need to refer to an expert opinion to make that call.
- Retric 5y agoThe point is there is nothing obvious about a wrong instinctive reaction to the people making them. 10% of Americans still don’t use seatbelts, it’s really really dumb yet still that common. Now imagine anything even slightly less ambitious and think are my instincts going to be accurate or should I look into the actual research? Saying anything other than research is simply unjustifiable.
- tenaciousDaniel 5y agoAgain, I am not saying that instinct is better than research, I'm saying that just because something has been "researched" does not mean that it's true. If there were research showing that putting certain plastics in the microwave were shown not to be harmful to humans, it wouldn't make a difference to me, because I still don't feel comfortable putting any kind of plastic in the microwave.
- Retric 5y agoWhich is exactly the same fallacy as not using your seatbelt, instincts are simply less accurate. While being overly cautious tends to have minimal penalties. Letting superstition reduce the quality of your life is still making an objectively poor choice.