Comment by leoh

This is arguably bizarre and out of touch comment too, which is merely adds fuel to a fire blazing in the comments section of HN, which is not particularly reputable for its opinions on anything except software (and even then is frequently rather questionable).

^ I hasten to add: some snark intended for effect

It’s a NYT Opinion piece, which means it doesn’t come with citations. Let’s not ignore the medium and it’s conventions here.

It is a bummer that such a weighty argument was in fact conveyed in this citation-free medium, given that Chomsky is engaging with such a weighty subject.

But that is an entirely distant matter.

And it would probably be far more productive to step back and realize the limitations of the medium and instead ask “what are the citations here?” (or seek them out for oneself, or ask for help finding them) and then seek to evaluate them on their specific merits; as opposed to choosing the least charitable interpretation and effectively resorting to an ad hominem (“this man is out of touch; I’m done here.”) or merely saying “we don’t know that!” (ibid.) without any apparent reference to any kind of thoughtful or careful literature regarding the subject at hand.

Unless you too are an established academic with decades of research in a field which is profoundly cognate to neuroscience?