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Comment by fantod | Hacker News Reader

> because the system selects for people who can sleazily promote their own research to win grants

It's quite common in most fields for success to go to those who are able to sell themselves well.

You'd think people might've cottoned on by now that selling "yourself" (or, more likely, your product) is a skill, that it can be learnt, and it should be learnt.

If there's sleaze involved or dirty tricks that's not right, but if you've a good idea or product and you can't persuade someone to back you then I'm not sure why the complaint should be against those who can, especially with allegedly inferior ones.

The people using the dishonest tactics will tend to win out, same reason almost everyone in sports uses steroids. Being dishonest is just far, far too advantageous, which is why the "selling yourself" game is disgusting to many.

I highly doubt "almost everyone in sports" use steroids.

Do you doubt that even one does? Because if one does, it gives them such a ludicrous advantage that the others can't even be competitive if they don't.

modafinil and amphetamines give programmers a ludicrous advantage, and yet, "almost all" programmers aren't doing them.

The evaluation of programmers isn't nearly as objective as the evaluation of athletes, and I'm not convinced modafinil and amphetamines have a statistically significant advantage (how much does programming ability even matter for getting ahead anywhere?), let alone a ludicrous one. On the other hand, the advantage from steroids is ludicrous on multiple factors including stamina, recovery, strength etc. The advantage from cheating and lying in the science game is also very high in my experience, although difficult to measure.

I don't agree. I've tried those and many other options and never found anything that provided a consistent advantage. The best physical advantage probably comes from good sleep and exercise.

At the top level in all competitive sports almost everyone in on banned PEDs, they are simply too advantageous. Even the women take testosterone.

perhaps a little naive

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