[jwdunne]

I agree. My voting policy reflects: I reserve down vote for comments that worsen the quality of discussion. Examples are rude or dismissive comments that fail to address any point in the OPs comment or article.

At its worst, I've seen people get down voted for asking beginner level questions. The calibre of folk who post here can, by its nature, make commenting a nervous activity. Getting down voted for trying to expand your knowledge is both harmful and wrong.

If I see a comment down voted without the above properties, I up vote to neutralise whether I agree or not. If the comment contributes to debate or discussion, it should be valued. I know I value alternate perspectives.

[skewart]

I completely agree. I do the same thing for subjectively downvoted posts. I want HN to be a place where people share all kinds of ideas and ask questions at any level.