Gwern Branwen wrote:
...Academics may have to adopt such an imposture, but
I do not.
As long as my 'snark' does not change the results - as it does not -
I do not care.
Bully for you.
My view is
that if such experiments are to be carried
out, it would be better if they were designed and conducted by those
able to restrain themselves from such snark.
Better how?
Because, as a wise acquaintance recently told me, very simply:
Delivery matters.
There is a mainstream out there which, like it or not, adopts
and prefers a certain demeanor different from yours. You may
pride yourself on not caring, on imagining that only the literal
truth of your argument matters, but to that mainstream, other
aspects *do* matter. If they dislike your snarky attitude, they
reflexively mistrust both you and your argument -- and, to some
extent, the community you associate with.