01-02-2018, 02:13 PM
Thanks Mr. Mark. Your post expresses many of my own thoughts regarding knife sharpening and the Internet.
For whatever reason, the sharpening world seems especially prone to birthing self proclaimed “experts” who freely, and even with apparent alacrity, spout out and represent as truth blatantly misguided, irrelevant, or at least ill-considered information, and the Internet offers the perfect venue to do it. It seems that now days all you have to do is sharpen one blade to become expert in the field and start spewing out “advice”.
So much of the sharpening information on the Internet is obviously endlessly repeated hearsay, and/or just opinion and folklore without any supporting data or even thoughtful theory offered as supporting evidence. But not all of it. There is also a lot of excellent useful information and expert advice. Your advice to use your best judgment is probably our best tool for ferreting out applicable and useful information. At least that’s what I do. Kind of like panning for gold. A lot of it is waste, but occasionally something pans out.
There is a real difference between spouting hearsay or opinion, and presenting for peer review a theory along with supporting data and evidence. The former is noise and blather; the latter is a quest for truth and a method of learning.
It is my hope, especially as the Exchange grows, that it remains a valued source of expertise, information, learning and research rather than devolving into yet another bloated bastion of babble. If everybody posts respectfully and thoughtfully it will surely come to pass.
We are lucky to have such an amazing and talented group of people here.
For whatever reason, the sharpening world seems especially prone to birthing self proclaimed “experts” who freely, and even with apparent alacrity, spout out and represent as truth blatantly misguided, irrelevant, or at least ill-considered information, and the Internet offers the perfect venue to do it. It seems that now days all you have to do is sharpen one blade to become expert in the field and start spewing out “advice”.
So much of the sharpening information on the Internet is obviously endlessly repeated hearsay, and/or just opinion and folklore without any supporting data or even thoughtful theory offered as supporting evidence. But not all of it. There is also a lot of excellent useful information and expert advice. Your advice to use your best judgment is probably our best tool for ferreting out applicable and useful information. At least that’s what I do. Kind of like panning for gold. A lot of it is waste, but occasionally something pans out.
There is a real difference between spouting hearsay or opinion, and presenting for peer review a theory along with supporting data and evidence. The former is noise and blather; the latter is a quest for truth and a method of learning.
It is my hope, especially as the Exchange grows, that it remains a valued source of expertise, information, learning and research rather than devolving into yet another bloated bastion of babble. If everybody posts respectfully and thoughtfully it will surely come to pass.
We are lucky to have such an amazing and talented group of people here.