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PaperclipPerfector  10mo ago (text post)   4053 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 14, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Might be a definition issue. Obviously I don't know the specifics of that discussion, but the person might have meant "useful" as in the "all models are wrong, but some are useful" (i.e., "useful" in the sense that they can be used to build theorems on or make falsifiable hypotheses), rather than in the sense of "having practical applications". If so, I'd be tempted to agree.

He made it clear that useful meant, "measurably impacts my day to day life, all else is mental masturbation."

For example, most historical details were also considered false, regardless of how sure we are that they really happened.

Ah, nevermind, then. Thanks for the context.

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