Critique of pure BS — part II
Short Critique of an Article I Don’t Remember Reading
TL;DR — I didn’t like it the first time I didn’t read it, and didn’t like it the second.
I don’t know if it’s age or a selective brain, but I don’t remember reading the article I’m about to critique.
For the kind of critiques I write, it doesn’t matter because I usually don’t read the articles I critique.
It’s a policy I decided to follow upon the advice of my counsel, Rachel A Fefer. She told me it had something to do with the goat joke and that I would understand when I received her invoice. I didn’t get what she meant, but I trusted her.
The problem with reading articles before critiquing them is that people can get offended. But if you don’t read, you don’t know what you’re talking about, and you can logically argue the author can’t be offended.
In today’s case, I have doubts because I see I clapped for the article.
It doesn’t necessarily mean I read it, though.
I often clap without reading to maximize engagement — as recommended by Medium’s Algo. If you think this is unethical, I respect your opinion. However, you must realize I don’t care much about it since I’m writing critiques of articles I didn’t read, which — for the record — is considered the traditional way of doing it in the critical world (source).
Anyway.
What can I say about this article I don’t remember reading? And can I keep it short?
I answer yes to both questions. It will be short because Patrick Eades wrote the article, and after reading the title (again?), I already know the answer and don’t need to read the whole thing.
Here’s the short critique for Patrick and those interested: “Honestly, Patrick, I loved it. What a brilliant answer to a fascinating question. Thank you for making me think.”
As always, if you would like me to write a short critique of one of your articles, drop a link in the comments and be convincing like Patrick and Simon when they asked. In the meantime, read more critically acclaimed critiques by Smillew:
And, if you insist, read something else by Patrick.