Having only read the headline, I came to this thread with the intention of saying that I agree with much of what he said, up to and potentially including withholding further funds from SI.
But then I read the post and find it's asking a different but related question, paraphrased as, "Why doesn't SI just lay down and die now that everyone knows none of their arguments have a basis in reality?" Which I'm inclined to disagree with.
No, what I complained about is the lack of work on SI part to actually try to check if it is correct, knowing that negative would mean that it has to dissolve. Big difference. SI should play Russian roulette (with the reality and logic as revolver) now - it is sure the bullet is not in the chamber - and maybe die if it was wrong.
I was wondering - what fraction of people here agree with Holden's advice regarding donations, and his arguments? What fraction assumes there is a good chance he is essentially correct? What fraction finds it necessary to determine whenever Holden is essentially correct in his assessment, before working on counter argumentation, acknowledging that such investigation should be able to result in dissolution or suspension of SI?
It would seem to me, from the response, that the chosen course of action is to try to improve the presentation of the argument, rather than to try to verify truth values of the assertions (with the non-negligible likelihood of assertions being found false instead). This strikes me as very odd stance.
Ultimately: why SI seems certain that it has badly presented some valid reasoning, rather than tried to present some invalid reasoning?
edit: I am interested in knowing why people agree/disagree with Holden, and what likehood they give to him being essentially correct, rather than a number or a ratio (that would be subject to selection bias).