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ChristianKl comments on The Thyroid Madness : Core Argument, Evidence, Probabilities and Predictions - Less Wrong Discussion

10 Post author: johnlawrenceaspden 14 March 2016 01:41AM

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Comment author: ChristianKl 18 March 2016 10:16:20PM *  1 point [-]

Everyone involved is using words differently, and that's obviously confusing, but I think we have to avoid getting hung up on it and try to look for the predictions we have in common and our ways of carving reality up.

That reminds me of Jay A. Labinger: The language you use to talk about something influences the way you think about it. If the chemistry you’re talking about is truly something new, then a fight over terminology may be quite an important part of getting to understand that chemistry better.

Mitochondrial dysfunction might be a much better disease target than CFS.

Comment author: johnlawrenceaspden 18 March 2016 10:25:54PM 0 points [-]

Absolutely. We need to 'carve reality at its joints' (may his name be praised), and naming things is important, whatever St Feynman said.

But it is ever so important not to get into pointless bunfights about words.

Comment author: ChristianKl 18 March 2016 11:01:15PM 1 point [-]

But it is ever so important not to get into pointless bunfights about words.

Fights about words are not pointless. Finding the right words is important to understand unclear territory. Getting clear about words allows to make more precise statements.

Comment author: johnlawrenceaspden 18 March 2016 11:07:01PM 0 points [-]

Agreed, let us not get into a pointless meta-bunfight

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