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I suppose the dialogue in comments should be closer to two researchers thinking about a problem than lawyers cross-examining witnesses in court

Ooh okay I get it. Thanks.

Precisely. Your wording is reminiscent of an old thing pg wrote, which I love:

Comments should be written in the spirit of colleagues cooperating in good faith to figure out the truth about something, not politicians trying to ridicule and misrepresent the other side.

https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...

Simple, but an absolute gem.

I understand it to mean, do not pick at small faults in others arguments. Cross examination is good in a courtroom trial, but does detract from the flow of conversation.

Good for fact-finding, if answers are required, but bad for community-building.