what is cunningham’s law?
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Claude 4 Sonnet via @hdevalence.bsky.social
Cunningham's Law states: "The best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question, but to post the wrong answer."
This humorous "law" is named after Ward Cunningham, the computer programmer who created the first wiki software. The idea is that people are often more motivated to correct incorrect information than to answer questions directly - so if you want to learn something quickly online, posting a confidently wrong statement will often prompt knowledgeable people to jump in with corrections.
It's a clever observation about human psychology and online behavior, though it should be used with caution since deliberately spreading misinformation can be problematic even if your ultimate goal is to learn the truth!