It’s not as bad as you think. In the scientific and medical communities, they’ll have reason enough for their own cynicism over people who “do their own research”.
Here on HN there may be a number of polymaths or professionals who actually can dig up or create good research on most or all topics. But for all the people for whom “do your own research” is “follow these rabbit holes on Youtube”, well… You don’t want to discourage people from good faith effort, but it’s not wrong to let people know that it takes a lot, probably more thatn they think, to get well-informed on a scientific topic.
I agree its tone is sort of “leave it to the experts”. It’s inveighing against the following:
> when someone says they’re “doing their own research,” they mean using a search engine to find information that confirms what they already think is true.
Naturally, if you are an expert in one or more fields, you might reasonably come away feeling the author isn’t talking to you.
Here on HN there may be a number of polymaths or professionals who actually can dig up or create good research on most or all topics. But for all the people for whom “do your own research” is “follow these rabbit holes on Youtube”, well… You don’t want to discourage people from good faith effort, but it’s not wrong to let people know that it takes a lot, probably more thatn they think, to get well-informed on a scientific topic.
I agree its tone is sort of “leave it to the experts”. It’s inveighing against the following:
> when someone says they’re “doing their own research,” they mean using a search engine to find information that confirms what they already think is true.
Naturally, if you are an expert in one or more fields, you might reasonably come away feeling the author isn’t talking to you.