You seem good at using the tools of data. Stick to that. We need more people like you. Don’t let clever phrasing dim your shine.
Hanlon’s razor is in that group of things the expert class is supposed to say so the expert class doesn’t use the tools of data on their masters and attempt to convict them. Along with Occam’s razor, correlation does not imply causation, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, data is not the plural of anecdote, let’s agree to disagree, no one can beat the market, and so on.
These all throw out the baby (Iran-Contra, etc) with the bath water (flat earth, etc), tend toward curbing scrutiny, and let someone off the hook. All of these sayings are worth considering, and red flags, at the same time.
Yes, that’s another good one. I’ve added “AI slop” to the list of low effort red flag phrases people say when they turn their brain off and delegate their thinking to a meme complex.
These were from a note on my phone. Originally I heard the idea from Eric Weinstein on some podcast, maybe Chris Williamson’s. Eric only mentioned a few examples, and the rest I added over time as I heard them. The meme complex idea I heard from Daniel Schmachtenberger, also some podcast.
Another variation would be when you can take someone’s response and apply it broadly to anything. Like when low effort “debunkers” like Michael Shermer reply with “well humans are notoriously bad at eye witness testimony, and let me explain confirmation bias, and a dozen other cognitive biases”, which of course doesn’t address (or even mention) the UFO or whatever topic they’re discussing. It’s a neat trick where you can just dismiss anything without ever mentioning the thing being dismissed.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor