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1080 points cbcowans | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.475s | source
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hedgew ◴[] No.15021772[source]
Many of the more reasonable criticisms of the memo say that it wasn't written well enough; it could've been more considerate, it should have used better language, or better presentation. In this particular link, Scott Alexander is used as an example of better writing, and he certainly is one of the best and most persuasive modern writers I've found. However, I can not imagine ever matching his talent and output, even if I practiced for years to try and catch up.

I do not think that anyone's ability to write should disbar them from discussion. We can not expect perfection from others. Instead we should try to understand them as human beings, and interpret them with generosity and kindness.

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virtuabhi ◴[] No.15021893[source]
There are many, many reasonable criticisms of the memo that do not focus on writing style. Here are a few examples -

https://www.wired.com/story/the-pernicious-science-of-james-...

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/aug/13/james-dam...

https://www.quora.com/What-do-scientists-think-about-the-bio...

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1. emddudley ◴[] No.15024462[source]
This one at The Economist is also very good.

"The e-mail Larry Page should have written to James Damore"

https://www.economist.com/news/21726276-last-week-paper-said...

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2. ShannonAlther ◴[] No.15024567[source]
'Page' argues that because Damore didn't mention that men score higher on aggression and lower on cooperation, this is evidence of motivated reasoning.

Counterpoint: Damore only lists personality traits that lead to interest in engineering, thus leading to an imbalance in the talent pool from which Google hires. Rarely is an extremely high propensity for agreeableness a motivating factor for getting an engineering degree at Stanford.