I feel the same way about charts from quick simulations, anecdotal evidence, and thought experiments:
you can use them as expository tools to illustrate your broader point, to demonstrate why the questions you want to look at are interesting, or to make your arguments stick in people’s heads more. But you should generally be very careful to avoid using thought experiments, anecdotes, or simulations in place of arguments, or data.
And likewise, you should be skeptical of thinkers who rely on these unreliable sources of “evidence” in place of arguments or data).
(I’m sure there are exceptions to all three rules, but you should be careful to only use them when you are actually confident that your situation is an exception).
I feel the same way about charts from quick simulations, anecdotal evidence, and thought experiments:
you can use them as expository tools to illustrate your broader point, to demonstrate why the questions you want to look at are interesting, or to make your arguments stick in people’s heads more. But you should generally be very careful to avoid using thought experiments, anecdotes, or simulations in place of arguments, or data.
And likewise, you should be skeptical of thinkers who rely on these unreliable sources of “evidence” in place of arguments or data).
(I’m sure there are exceptions to all three rules, but you should be careful to only use them when you are actually confident that your situation is an exception).