Is Shodan more retarded lately, or has he maintained a consistent level of retardation all along?

[septimus]

I’ve wanted to start a thread (perhaps in this very forum ) to advocate
Often, Anecdote is the singular of data

I understand the proprieties of statistics, dangers of bias, and need for double-blind experimentation. Yet enlightened extrapolation from personal data is often useful, indeed may outperform published estimates. (An example arose in a thread where a former homeless child gave prostitution population estimates based on personal experience; Dopers laughed at her, instead citing obviously-flawed, but “published”, data.)

As an example of almost-deliberate stupidity, I’d give Shodan’s dismissal of anecdotes in his screeds against AA. I don’t think he insulted my mother intentionally, instead it’s just another example of his almost-deliberate stupidity.

@Shodan

Where did I do that, and in what forum?

And FTR, I have never played Go.

Regards,
Shodan

You compared my mother to Laetrile. If it makes you feel better, I didn’t feel you were thinking to insult … just not thinking at all.

@Shodan

@septimus

I have only the “anecdote” that among alcoholics I’ve known, success at sobriety was very strongly correlated with AA attendance.

I’ve already mentioned one woman, sober for the last 30 years of her life, who became a very successful life-saving counsellor and, despite having strong will-power, still insisted on attending meetings because she “needed to.”

And second-hand anecdotal evidence is always better than scientific studies. That’s why we can be sure that Laetrile works.

:rolleyes:

Regards,
Shodan