[richmarr]

Down votes aren't incorrect because of the definition of 'recruited'.

Down votes are incorrect because downvoting someone merely because you disagree is the embodiment of confirmation bias.

That makes it the enemy of debate, and of reason itself.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

(Cue a stream of people claiming the thread is off-topic as an attempt to rationalise their downvotes, or down-voting me with equally fallacious reasoning)

[richmarr]

...and downvotes. Pathetic guys, really pathetic.

[ectoplasm]

pg said downvoting disagreement is fine.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=117171

[richmarr]

Well, I respectfully disagree, for the reasons already stated (like most of the on-topic replies to that comment). Even the ones that agreed with pg suggested other mechanics to make up for the down-sides of the current system.

At the start of an innovation or social change the majority opinion is wrong, almost by definition. By having a single reward metric, and then structuring your system so that minority opinions get punished, you're creating a culture that's less free-thinking and more monocultural than it should be.

I can totally understand pg not wanting to change it, after all, he has a day job, but I don't think his 'up is agreement so down should be disagreement because symmetry' argument is worth much as stated.

After all, simple agreement has no worthwhile attribute other than a count of those who agree. Disagreement on the other hand is completely different, there are thousands of reasons why you might disagree with anything but the simplest of comments. Simply recording disagreement as a number is meaningless.

Edit: (I upvoted you for bothering to engage and find a link rather than just downvoting)

[ectoplasm]

I agree with you, I was just pointing out the rules. I try not to worry about the point system here too much. Usually I just upvote everybody who replies to me.