Ask HN: Why do people hate on Sabine Hossenfelder so much?
3ieuanking98/26/2025, 4:59:39 PM
Comments (9)
Bender · 4h ago
Why do people hate on Sabine Hossenfelder so much?
She might be bringing attention to some shady people in the scientific field [1] and that could cost them money so I could see them getting salty. Good on her for bringing more attention to it. I expect AI to expose much more as people abuse it more. Just ignore the haters.
Yeah, watched this one! I love her stuff. Her book Lost In Math really stuck with me over the last couple of months
duxup · 4h ago
I feel like this is one of those kind of questions where people who ask it, already would have to know enough to to answer the question before they even ask.
And most everyone else wouldn't know who that even is.
ieuanking · 3h ago
lmao super fair - I just always see so much ahte on her, but I love her books and think she is a great science communicator.
MrCoffee7 · 46m ago
Reddit has quite a few discussions on this topic that are pretty informative.
mikewarot · 2h ago
For the most part, I like what she's done. I suspect those who know they have bullshit jobs in physics might not like her endangering their jobs.
She got out over her skis a few times, but mostly everything she says makes sense to me.
incomingpain · 4h ago
She's autistic and there's a subset of society who have subconscious bias against autistic people.
The research out of the UK was fascinating. They had a video of autistic people and non-autistic people, not doing much of anything. Nothing verbal. Then the tested person simply answers, gut feeling questions about the person. "does this person seem trustworthy" etc etc.
They showed a minority of people have the ability to identify autistic people without verbal; and have negative judgements against them with remarkable accuracy and they are completely oblivious to the bias.
ieuanking · 3h ago
not me realizing all my friends are autistic
sunscream89 · 4h ago
I haven’t watched her recent stuff though I always have enjoyed what I have seen. From time to time she is linked over a prominent issue.
She said something trans rights activists scorn, that sex operations on children cannot be a moral intervention of children gripped by gender dysphoria.
I don’t know what else she’s on coals over.
Since she went “private” venturing her stuff is all over the place and people can get tired of this one personality always chiming in.
I could see her charms turning to cringe in some situations.
She might be bringing attention to some shady people in the scientific field [1] and that could cost them money so I could see them getting salty. Good on her for bringing more attention to it. I expect AI to expose much more as people abuse it more. Just ignore the haters.
[1] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NOWoQW5RLk [video][7 mins]
And most everyone else wouldn't know who that even is.
She got out over her skis a few times, but mostly everything she says makes sense to me.
The research out of the UK was fascinating. They had a video of autistic people and non-autistic people, not doing much of anything. Nothing verbal. Then the tested person simply answers, gut feeling questions about the person. "does this person seem trustworthy" etc etc.
They showed a minority of people have the ability to identify autistic people without verbal; and have negative judgements against them with remarkable accuracy and they are completely oblivious to the bias.
She said something trans rights activists scorn, that sex operations on children cannot be a moral intervention of children gripped by gender dysphoria.
I don’t know what else she’s on coals over.
Since she went “private” venturing her stuff is all over the place and people can get tired of this one personality always chiming in.
I could see her charms turning to cringe in some situations.