michael_nielsen

1) I've always been annoyed by "intellectual trolls," people who optimize for saying interesting things without caring about truth.

There's a related (but v. diff) thing, which is people who playfully explore in interesting ways. 1/

But in some spheres of discussion that's frowned upon in many circles. I sometimes wonder if the i. trolls are a response. 2/

Do the explorer types get backlash even if they're honest about the fact that they're just in exploration-mode? If so that seems unfair.

I'm just thinking that exploration of socially sensitive things is often fraught. Eg your recent request for hypotheses about gender/tech.