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pjeby comments on Fix it and tell us what you did - Less Wrong
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My point is that so-called "empirical data" is also either anecdotal or experiential. If you didn't collect it yourself, it's still an anecdote. (Not that all anecdotes come from equally reliable sources, of course -- just pointing out that it's a non-useful/false dichotomy to divide the world into "anecdotes" and "data".)
WTF? Seriously, how in the seven hells is an experience not data?
It's a common-enough and useful distinction (I might grant that it's something of a false dichotomy, but I think that's besides the point). Just to put a point on it:
"My doctor told me I had two weeks to live, so my church prayed for me to get better, and my cancer went away!"
Tells you effectively nothing about the efficacy of prayer. Multiplying this into a thousand anecdotes also tells you effectively nothing about the efficacy of prayer. By contrast, putting together a good study about the efficacy of prayer with the appropriate controls, tells you quickly that prayer isn't better than chance.