why do erroneous questions get more attention?

[Elite Engineer]

I've noticed on OSF, and many other forums that people who make erroneous statments tend to receive far more responses than people with honest to god questions....why is this?

 

~ee

[ajb]

Good posed questions get a good posed answer and the thread is over.

[Phi for All]

Part of it is confirmation bias, I think. If something seems wrong, we cherry-pick all the stuff that seems wrong and ignore others explaining why it's right. Sometimes we become even more convinced it's wrong when we hear a reasonable, rationally arrived at explanation. It takes a lot more time to explain things when we already have a heavy bias towards a different answer.

 

And part of it is our pattern recognition ability. Things that are wrong or out of place grab our attention and we MUST FIX THEM IMMEDIATELY!

 

And I think people genuinely want to help someone who has it wrong. So some compassion thrown in there too.

[Ophiolite]

I speak for my own motivations: I participate in science forums to learn. I generally learn most when I am seeking to explain why someone is mistaken. When they are badly mistaken, deluded and intransigent, that can require a great deal of explaining. A simple question, on the other hand, can be dealt with simply and with a single reply.

[WWLabRat]

I don't know how it is with other original posters, but when I'm making my original post, I try to answer all common questions about my theory in that past so that it doesn't waste the time of others. Also having that more detailed post helps others to see where you are coming from and more of what your thought process is.

[Deidre]

I've noticed on OSF, and many other forums that people who make erroneous statments tend to receive far more responses than people with honest to god questions....why is this?

 

~ee

You mean questions that are of a pseudoscience nature? If so, think it's because the answers that follow run a wide spectrum from religious notions, to philosophical, to actual scientific explanations. I've seen this also in other forums, and when you see questions like that, the person posing the question isn't looking for an actual answer, he or she is more than likely, just looking for attention, and the longer the thread drones on, the better for the person. Sad to say that, but that is how I see it. Pages upon pages of posts later, there's no resolution, and you forget what the thread was initially about by that point.

[daphne2013]

This is my idea,

They just wish their post can gain more popularity, some of the issues that is likely to casually ask.

[ajb]

They just wish their post can gain more popularity, some of the issues that is likely to casually ask.

I have seen the use of the number of replies and views, that is some notion of "popularity" to be misconstrued to mean "support of an idea". In fact it looks like in general we have a "one-over power law" here and the more replies actually means less support.

[Kowalski]

because weird ideas are more exciting .

[Dekan]

I speak for my own motivations: I participate in science forums to learn.

A very proper reply, Resident Expert!

Of course, some cynics might assert that the real motivation is - to massage one's ego.

This couldn't be true, could it?

[ajb]

A very proper reply, Resident Expert!

Of course, some cynics might assert that the real motivation is - to massage one's ego.

This couldn't be true, could it?

Maybe a little bit true...lol.

 

It can be fun here and we do learn and relearn things via this website. Overall I enjoy helping people to realise that they can learn some real physics, if they try.

because weird ideas are more exciting .

But then weird ideas are not necessarily outside of the philosophy of science, it is how one develops the ideas that makes them scientific or not. Note this is different to the ideas actually being realised in nature or not!

Edited November 23, 2013 by ajb

[StringJunky]

Dekan, on 23 Nov 2013 - 2:09 PM, said:

A very proper reply, Resident Expert!

Of course, some cynics might assert that the real motivation is - to massage one's ego.

This couldn't be true, could it?

What's wrong with having some sense of self worth (ego) from having applied much time and effort to become what they are now? AJB, and others here like him, likely feels good when they enlighten someone in their area of expertise ...they deserve it. What can be more laudable than to give time and share what one has worked hard for? As a counterexample I remember, years ago, working in the building trade asking a bricklayer something related to his job to aid me in my task and he said: " I've worked thirty f-ing years to know what I know today and i'm not giving it away." Give me people like AJB everytime.

[Dekan]

StringJunky #12, you're right, that there's nothing wrong with having a sense of self-worth. Posters such as AJB, Ophiolite and you deserve to feel worthy and good. Because you use your knowledge and insights, to help other people. Unlike the selfish bricklayer in your plangent counterexample.

 

However, the question of motivation may be less simple.

 

I'm reminded of politicians. When they're asked "Why did you enter politics?" They always say something praiseworthy, like: "Because I wanted to serve my country and people." But we all know that really, they want power.

 

Are scientists different?

Edited November 24, 2013 by Dekan

[ajb]

Are scientists different?

Typically you don't get much power as a scientist.

[Ophiolite]

StringJunky #12, you're right, that there's nothing wrong with having a sense of self-worth. Posters such as AJB, Ophiolite and you deserve to feel worthy and good. Because you use your knowledge and insights, to help other people. Unlike the selfish bricklayer in your plangent counterexample.

 

However, the question of motivation may be less simple.

 

I'm reminded of politicians. When they're asked "Why did you enter politics?" They always say something praiseworthy, like: "Because I wanted to serve my country and people." But we all know that really, they want power.

 

Are scientists different?

In my earlier reply I attempted to make it clear that what you are trying to explore and suggesting may be the case. I did not claim some great desire to educate the masses: I stated very simply that my objective was to learn. In other words, my motivation is primarily selfish.

 

How do I learn? By seeking to answer questions whose answers I know well with outstanding clarity, and to answer questions I am less familiar with the wnaswers to by employing proper literature research. The net result is that I, assuredly, learn and, one hopes, readers of my post may also learn.

 

In a secondary situation, such as this one, expressing opinions helps me sort out my own thinking: once again a selfish goal, but from time to time the thoughts may be beneficial to others. That's a nice bonus.

[AfterViewer]

Some may ask erroneous questions to pique the interests of others, another small percentage are trolling for walleye, usually avoiding the muskies. Some may think they are clever in knowing they are timewasters. Others may have time to waste, wasted lives.

Edited December 1, 2013 by AfterViewer

[Endercreeper01]

What about debates?

[AfterViewer]

Yes, I think a person could ask a loaded question to facilitate a debate.