The sociopath comment was indeed triggered by your question, though it wasn't fair that it got directed at you rather than any of the hundreds of other comments that make me feel the same way, and I'm sorry for that, but I suspect that any of those commenters would have given a similar defense.
It matters very much which widespread assumptions one tend to question, and which subconsciously get a free pass, and I find that HNers on the whole are likely to question assumptions like "people should be kind to each other" more than most people, while questioning "companies are legally required to maximize shareholder value" less, where in fact it's the latter that's false, and while the former isn't a statement of fact, it's a very healthy axiom for humanity.
Shared values are not "groupthink": they're what allow us to have society at all, and while we should be allowed to discuss them, dismissing them carelessly is anti-social.
It matters very much which widespread assumptions one tend to question, and which subconsciously get a free pass, and I find that HNers on the whole are likely to question assumptions like "people should be kind to each other" more than most people, while questioning "companies are legally required to maximize shareholder value" less, where in fact it's the latter that's false, and while the former isn't a statement of fact, it's a very healthy axiom for humanity.
Shared values are not "groupthink": they're what allow us to have society at all, and while we should be allowed to discuss them, dismissing them carelessly is anti-social.