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Comment by mlevental | Hacker News Reader

dershowitz is a public figure. he's constantly on national talking heads news type shows and has had very public spats (thereby making him more visible) with other talking heads.

Pinker, while not as famous as dershowitz, is also a public figure - he's published several pop sci books and also makes the rounds on various morning shows (to promote his books).

Minsky was purely an academic - as far as I know he never published pop books and only spoke at academic conferences. he's much much further down the list.

Furthermore this was admitted into the record as sworn testimony, lying being punishable by perjury laws. And note she gave the deposition before epstein committed suicide (so conceivably she could've proven to be lying). Who are you to cast doubt on criminal procedures simply because it suits some narrative of yours about perceived witch-hunts?

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You are ignoring my point. No one is doubting that Minsky associated with Epstein. That is all that is necessary for her to know his name and be able to accuse him, and her knowing his name is not dramatic evidence of truth. What would be valid evidence of truth would be something like a third party (like, say, Greg Benford) confirming it.

> Minsky was purely an academic - as far as I know he never published pop books and only spoke at academic conferences. he's much much further down the list.

This is not even accurate. Minsky was the oracle of AI, the head of the MIT AI Lab. He influenced AI from the 1950s to the 1990s. Any pop article about AI might quote or interview Minsky. And what is 'Society of Mind' but a popularization, widely read?

> Furthermore this was admitted into the record as sworn testimony, lying being punishable by perjury laws.

Oh, well, that settles it. I'm glad we had this discussion about critical thinking.

Incidentally, for all your huffing about witch hunts and perjury law, I would point out that she could easily be telling the truth. The deposition only claims that she was told to have sex with Minsky, and not, as far as any media coverage I've seen goes, that she actually did, and Greg Benford states he was there and that Minsky turned her down: https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/339725/

>You are ignoring my point. No one is doubting that Minsky associated with Epstein.

i am not. your point is that since he was a famous academic his name was as easily recognizable as dershowitz and pinker, who are generally famous.

>What would be valid evidence of truth would be something like a third party (like, say, Greg Benford) confirming it.

sorry that's not what we as a society has deemed sufficient proof. though you are welcome relitigate literally all of common law dating back to the magna carta though if you believe it should be otherwise.

>Minsky was the oracle of AI, the head of the MIT AI Lab. He influenced AI from the 1950s to the 1990s.

means literally nothing to general public and therefore doesn't substantiate your claim.

>And what is 'Society of Mind' but a popularization, widely read?

i concede this one. i was not aware of this book.

>Oh, well, that settles it. I'm glad we had this discussion about critical thinking.

so do you then doubt all depositions or just the ones that implicate oracles of AI?

>The deposition only claims that she was told to have sex with Minsky, and not, as far as any media coverage I've seen goes, that she actually did, and Greg Benford states he was there and that Minsky turned her down: https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/339725/

my point was only about the validity of her testimony. yours (initially) was the defense of minksy.

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