The goalposts are shrouded, not moving

Have you ever been in a conversation where someone keeps asking for examples, and no matter what you provide, they find something wrong with it? Per LessWrong, we often interpret this as 'moving the goalposts'—being argumentative in bad faith. But the essay suggests there's often something different happening: the person is searching for something without fully knowing how to ask for it. Consider someone asking whether a supplement works. They ask for research. You provide a trial. They ask for one not funded by the manufacturer. You find an N-I-H study. But it's only twelve people with no control arm. Each objection seems like obstruction, but what they're really asking—should I believe this helps?—is more nuanced than any single study can answer. Recognizing this gap could transform the conversation from frustration into genuine collaboration.

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