The Problem With Sabine Hossenfelder
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN mentions it only critically, as a rebuttal to Hossenfelder when her credibility is questioned.
What it is
Professor Dave critiques science communicator Sabine Hossenfelder, arguing that her content has drifted toward anti-establishment rhetoric. He frames it as commentary rather than a hit piece.
Recommended by 0 HN commenters across 0 different months, 2025 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Critical cthalupa · 2025-03 · on “I genuinely don't understand why some people are still bullish about LLMs”
Sabine has moved well into the deep-end and has all sorts of bizarre anti-science content at this point. I had been getting more and more uncomfortable with some of her videos and couldn't really put it into words until one of the guys who blew up debunking flat earther stuff, professor dave, put out a few videos on what she's been doing. [this video] [LINK] [LINK] She's youtuber who is happy to take whatever position she thinks will get her the most views and ad revenue, all while crying woe is me about how the scientific establishment shuns her.
Critical refulgentis · 2025-04 · on “CERN releases report on the feasibility of a possible Future Circular Collider”
I can't find the subthread, oddly. Really oddly... They linked out to this Professor Dave @ [this video] IIRC. (1M views!) He's got a couple more on it. Note I'd never say she was a fraud but I also don't know what to do with someone who has grown into being Not Even Wrong regularly. This might be the only way, fire with fire, but it makes me squeamish.
Critical pas · 2025-10 · on “New nanotherapy clears amyloid-β, reversing symptoms of Alzheimer's in mice”
did she? or is she simply preaching to a certain choir that's awash with the heavy anti-establishment and anti-intellectual sentiment of nowadays? [LINK] [this video] ... that said, of course there's some valid criticism of science funding underneath, and (the whole role, purpose, and status of) the academic sphere (with its traditions and privileges) which largely determines the outcome of how grant organizations end doing funding decisions.