RobinZ comments on Open Thread: November 2009 - Less Wrong

3 [deleted] 02 November 2009 01:18AM

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Comment author: RobinZ 03 November 2009 03:54:51PM 7 points [-]

This comment scores a full 68 points on the Crackpot Index. That doesn't make it wrong, but if it's right, I think you need to explain yourself more clearly.

To start with, as Psy-Kosh asked, what theory are you talking about, anyway? Where is it published, by whom, and what predictions have been made with it?

Comment author: thomblake 03 November 2009 07:03:31PM 1 point [-]

a full 68 points

I was going to post a comment showing it should be much higher than 68, but re-checking my evaluation your score appears correct. Amongst other mistakes, I was going to award 50 points for no testable predictions, but I think the comment about the Higgs boson counts.

However, it seems like misspelling 'Kuhn' should count for something.

Comment author: RobinZ 03 November 2009 07:16:33PM 0 points [-]

Let me recount quickly so we can compare:

  • -5 for starters.
  • +3 for statements widely agreed to be false (nonexistence of 1. black holes, 2. dark matter, 3. big bang).
  • +10 for claiming a paradigm shift.
  • +20 for talking about how great the theory is without explaining it.
  • +40 for claiming something like a conspiracy suppressing the new idea (cf. "threatening to their funding and careers").

However, it seems like misspelling 'Kuhn' should count for something.

Step 8 suggests a +5 for misspelling Einstein, Hawking, or Feynman - you could do the same for Kuhn.

Comment author: Psy-Kosh 03 November 2009 04:31:43PM 1 point [-]

Well, really, for now my main thing is that I just want to know if my understanding of the concept of gauge bosons is correctish or if I completely missed the point of that aspect of the standard theories.