&gt; I thought you would have been thoughtful enough to follow the rest of the discussion to get the missing pieces of my argument.<p>I didn&#x27;t take the time, this time.  I let your words to me stand on their own, and they weren&#x27;t standing up very well.  I repeatedly asked, and you didn&#x27;t clarify some of the apparently very important nuances of your view point.<p>&gt; Data does not predict anything.<p>That&#x27;s ridiculous.<p>The entire history of science has been gathering data, and making predictions.  The predictive power of science is ASTOUNDING.  Even without a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms.  Newton and Keppler invented formulas that fit the data they had at hand, and the predictions they made were uncanny, even though they didn&#x27;t understand the actual forces that were creating those phenomena.<p>&gt; How do you know this?<p>By answering the phone call when soup kitchens were desperate for donations, by helping my family when they were stocking, by volunteering my own time and money when I had the spare time and money, and by looking at the other people who were similarly stocking the shelves.<p>Sure, it&#x27;s anecdotal.<p>&gt; I do enjoy it.<p>If you enjoy it, then please refrain from the negative comments (&quot;the very way you think about wealth is utterly silly&quot;).  I doubt they increase your enjoyment, and they negatively impacted mine.