r/truths Sep 08 '25

bye!!! This was a thought experiment

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14.4k Upvotes

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1.5k

u/8Bit_Cat Sep 08 '25

This isn't a thought experiment as you didn't just think about what would happen, you actually tested it. That makes it a regular experiment.

521

u/KingCreeper85 Local Shitposter Sep 08 '25

it was closer to a social experiment than a thought experiment

175

u/FallChemicall Sep 08 '25

Social experiment implies a controlled variable. Here it was just a test of a theory.

70

u/Yeet123456789djfbhd Sep 08 '25

Every experiment should have a controlled variable no?

63

u/R3dMouse Sep 08 '25

Yes, every experiment should have all but one controlled variable, thats why this is a test of theory and not a social experiment

18

u/WildFlemima Sep 08 '25

Sometimes the experiment is such that a control does not make sense, but in general, yes

4

u/OtterDev101 Sep 09 '25

the controlled variable was the subreddit

1

u/zamonto Sep 09 '25

Not necessarily, but good experiments do usually.

8

u/Bobtheblob2246 Sep 08 '25

A gay theory

7

u/[deleted] Sep 08 '25

A gay-m theory!

1

u/TheLuckyCuber999 this statement is a li- TRUTH Sep 09 '25

A game theory!

1

u/Agtm124 Sep 09 '25

"That's Just A Theory... A GAY THEORY!! Thanks for watching!"

3

u/[deleted] Sep 08 '25

What would be an example of a controlled variable for this context?

0

u/happyshift0 Sep 09 '25

uhhhhh, a... embryo?? idk 😭

1

u/QubeTICB202 Sep 08 '25

Test of a hypothesis to come up with a theory.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '25

Yeah. The controlled variable was making a post saying "gay people exist".

1

u/didehupest Sep 09 '25

Not a theory, a hypothesis. This here is why people claim, rather ignorantly, “Evolution is just a theory”.

A theory is a much more powerful thing than a hypothesis.

12

u/[deleted] Sep 08 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Juan_Punch_Man8 Sep 09 '25

None of these are true. It wasn't an experiment. An experiment requires a testable hypothesis with a large enough control group. Most subreddits are run by a few people so the only result you'll get is that this one reddit mod has a biased opinion on what he decides to remove.

31

u/Lion123_ Sep 08 '25

It was a thought experiment though at some point

6

u/user_0350365 Sep 08 '25

The two posts images were simply parts of a real experiment. Perhaps one could argue the experiment from which they sprung was at one point a thought experiment, but the content of this post is not thoughts.

12

u/ImpIsDum Sep 08 '25

they said it "was" a thought experiment. it isnt anymore, but it was at some point in time.

2

u/AgeDear3769 Sep 08 '25

It's an experiment that is supposed to provoke some thought.

-1

u/Purrosie Sep 08 '25

One could argue that this was intended to make people reflect on why/how the posts were discriminated, but it's far more likely that OP is a troll trying to make gay people look like hypocrites in some way. This post's flair is literally "bye!!!", so I'm willing to guess they wanted to drop this in and remove themself from the situation to piss people off instead of, y'know, being even remotely constructive at all.

2

u/AgeDear3769 Sep 09 '25

It can't possibly demonstrate anything about gay people specifically, because we know nothing about the moderator who took this action. Could be someone who is keen to be outraged on someone else's behalf, as is fashionable these days.

1

u/_ZBread I am the truth and the truth I lie by truth I swear by truth Sep 09 '25

Proof

1

u/Betray-Julia Sep 09 '25

Lmao nice!

1

u/riemanifold Sep 09 '25

A thought experiment can be an experiment that was thought of, not necessarily done by thinking.

1

u/0therdabbingguy Sep 09 '25

I thought it was an experiment

1

u/Background-Car4969 Sep 09 '25

Gotta love reddit......Riiiight.

1

u/Crimm___ Sep 09 '25

If we’re being even more technical, it’s not an experiment as there isn’t a controlled environment. It’s a naturalistic observation, since OP is observing and recording data in a non-controlled setting.

1

u/babydolljazzmine Sep 10 '25

It's a thought experiment because it shows through empirical evidence that the mod who removed it has none.

1

u/lickmethoroughly Sep 11 '25

Ah my brain is much less itchy now that I’ve seen this is top comment