No, that’s not what social proof means. I’m saying a throwaway comment by a non-expert has very little probative value. Now, I’d give it more weight if Scott were actually to write a post about this topic concluding that we should all stop wearing sunscreen, because knowing him there probably would be some serious thought and research put into that. But the post you linked to basically says “it’s more complicated than you might think, but the consensus is still wear sunscreen.”
That seems like a reason not to make a recommendation until someone trusted has done a proper lit review, not a reason to make an affirmative recommendation based on an old consensus with momentum behind it despite the glaringly obvious cultural and incentive problems that make the consensus likely to ignore new evidence.
No, that’s not what social proof means. I’m saying a throwaway comment by a non-expert has very little probative value. Now, I’d give it more weight if Scott were actually to write a post about this topic concluding that we should all stop wearing sunscreen, because knowing him there probably would be some serious thought and research put into that. But the post you linked to basically says “it’s more complicated than you might think, but the consensus is still wear sunscreen.”
That seems like a reason not to make a recommendation until someone trusted has done a proper lit review, not a reason to make an affirmative recommendation based on an old consensus with momentum behind it despite the glaringly obvious cultural and incentive problems that make the consensus likely to ignore new evidence.