Thank you Snydeman for your post #243 on the search for meaning and truth (fancy Latin name - epistemology). Welcome to the “Big League!”
Wait, my post was about epistemology? You sure you read the right post?
I note your comments are directed towards some unspecified “you”, but since you quote me correctly, I am pleased to reply on you’s behalf. And since those quotes are from a reply to Jim H which I liked (# 241 “Conspiracy Theories”) , thank you so much for denying readers of your post any opportunity to read the full text of mine. Cute.
I'll take cute, but really it was just sloppy. I didn't hit the correct "reply" button to indicate who I was replying to, but I'm happy to note that you were up to the task of figuring it out, since I only quoted your words within my post. Proof positive that your intellect matches your diction!
Please forgive the pun, but I note you make “derogatory or mocking” comments “in an indirect way”, as the Oxford dictionary defines “snide” comments. I enjoy that literary device as well, it injects a bit of levity to things IMO. There is an exquisite irony in your alias. You are very funny.
You missed the other exquisite irony in my post which I thought quite clever, but I'll take the compliment on being funny. Do I have to post the mirror picture again, or should I just point out that the whole "indirect way" method is one I saw you using in a few of your posts. Takes one to know one, maybe?
Now as a noun, Snydeman, the Oxford defines a “snide” man as “devious and underhand”. I have no reason to believe you are such a man, Snydeman, even though your post clearly proves you behave that way. I give everybody three strikes before I declare them out, Snydeman, and this stunt is only strike one for you. I will, however, take the implied warning and watch my back.
Oh, I'll be upfront and say please just count three strikes now and declare me out. There are a few reasons why:
1) I don't consider you any kind of "authority" whose opinion about me I need to care about. So, how many "strikes" you adjudicate to me, or whether you call me "out" holds about as much weight with me as listening to Dr. Phil wax poetic about epidemiology. None.
2) You took what I said and twisted it. I stated no "warning" to you implying you needed to "watch your back." I basically said you need to drop the pedantic nonsense and support your perspective with data and evidence rather than linguistic circumlocution and condescending statements about "logic" and "philosophy." If you want to prove people wrong, show them the data. The science. The facts. Saying, in a very indirect way I might add, that they lack logic just because you don't agree with them is not going to fly with the crowd here for very long. Circling back to the first part of this point, I have learned to immediately discount those who twist others' words rather than directly discuss or debate their actual ones, since it most often indicates they have nothing concrete and evidence-based to counter with.
I swear to you, Snydeman, since I threw down the gauntlet to Kant’s disciples, they’ve been dropping out the trees on this thread like flies. And all united in the conviction that Peak Prosperity should abandon evidence and become a faith based community.
I don't even know what the fuck you are trying to say here. I mean, you talk a lot and use lots of great words and even reference Immanuel Kant, so I suppose I should be impressed...but those two sentences are a whole lot of nothing in the end. PP has always been an evidence-based site, and I've seen Chris, Adam, and many other PPers show a willingness to change their views with new evidence or new ways to interpret existing evidence. But name-dropping an 18th century German philosopher doesn't constitute evidence, even if it is kinda funny to read.
I’ll run my BS detector over your post and see if, like all Kant’s disciples, you trade in logical fallacies too, and get back to you.
Oh my. I suppose I shall be very upset if your BS detector flashes red, what with your opinion carrying so much gravitas around here and all. Are you going to call my mom if I get snarky again?
Onwards to more relevant posts, namely Quercus's:
To help us get back on track, it might be useful to answer these questions:
Your point is valid, of course, and I don't know why I take on the task of taking trolls to task (that's a mouthful), but I'm sorry...some of the people he's calling illogical are people who've long established their credentials as solid thinkers and presenters of evidence-based arguments - and some of them I don't even agree with all the time! I think trolls calling out people for the very thing
they are doing themselves is what irks me. Then again, I used snark to combat snark, so I admit I was being a bit hypocritical on some level. My apologies if my remarks denigrated the overall quality of the thread.
What are your thoughts on whether our honey badger friend originate (intentionally or not) in a lab? What data push you one way or the other in your opinion? If it did originate in a lab, would you be willing to speculate on whether or not the release was intentional? Why or why not?
Well, first off none of this is my area of expertise, but I was very doubtful of the "lab origin" theory up until about a week ago. Now I'm not so certain. Chris's podcasts and evidence I'm seeing pop up elsewhere has at least gotten me to be willing to open up to all the possible explanations. I've also learned so much science I think I'll need to watch some of these podcasts a few times just to grasp the basics. As for speculation, I won't. I'm just going to read a lot from multiple experts. I will readily admit my
resistance to the lab-based-origin hypothesis is partly grounded in my
emotional desire for that not to be true...so I recognize I'm not thinking about it as objectively as I need to. But I'm listening, at least, even if my heart wants to believe we humans can't possibly be that evil or stupid.
Based on the evidence what do you think of the effectiveness hydroxychloroquine as an early-stage treatment? What about remdesivir? What evidence do you have to support your view?
I'm only basing my opinions on what I'm reading and hearing. Remdesivir, according to a friend who works for the CDC, is effective, but the claims its a "miracle cure" or any somesuch drives him nuts. It helps ease the duration and severity in
some cases, but not when administered too late in the disease progression. He had no opinion on HQC, but that's because he's not one of the people working on anything related to it. As for me, again...I stand here among giants and brains far more qualified than mine. I'm carefully watching and listening, though, but this is why I haven't been posting as much lately. Well, that, and all the work I'm putting into growing a garden.
Is there an active attempt on the part of the media, politicians and other powerful players to promote remdesivir over HQC? If so, do the data justify their attempt?
On this one, I can weigh in. History shows very clearly that if there are multiple options, solutions or paths, but one of those paths can bring profit to the elite or wealthy while the others can not, the former will be chosen while the latter will not - I could list out a few examples from the past, but this post is already long enough. There's far fewer examples in history of the powerful, wealthy, or elite choosing
what's the best for the commoners over what's
best for the elite, so yeah...I think there's ample anecdotal evidence to suggest one is being hoisted on us far more than the other, despite neither being scientifically bullet-proof miracle solutions, much less being even adequately tested. At the very least someone should be asking
why the rush to annoint remdesivir king over HQC?
I think sand_puppy and Jim H and perhaps a few others have taken clear stands on these questions and presented lots of data. wildtravel, I'm not quite sure where you stand, so I'd love it if you could reply in a direct and clear way.
And this would be my point. In these woods, ya gotta bring a loaded gun to a gunfight; evidence and data to back up clear assertions. Sand_puppy, Jim and others do that. This new "wildtravel" person talks all fancy and makes grandiose claims but, in the end, reminds me of a balloon releasing air and not much else.
Sorry. I regressed again. I'm gonna go back into time-out now.