8/20/2026 at 2:56:04 PM
I appreciate a desire to do research and base conclusions that are informed heavily by data.However, can’t one also draw conclusions from first principles and reasoning?
by andsoitis
8/20/2026 at 4:12:33 PM
One can draw opinions from first principles reasoning sure.Conclusions, no. Especially if the data does not agree with your reasoning. Which is almost always the case for unknown unknowns.
What first principles reasoning (by experts on a topic) is genuinely useful for is to prioritize what to pursue/research next.
First principles reasoning by amateurs gets you results that are 'not even wrong'.
by fooker
8/20/2026 at 4:45:27 PM
Meta is relentlessly obsessed with metrics. Want to launch something? Show the metrics. What to show impact and value? If there's not a metric for it, it doesn't exist. It's a way to say you are being as objective as possible while also being able to avoid the utterly obvious when it suits you, which is frequently.by mrwh