It illuminates the goal. There are smart and stupid ways to achieve that goal.
Having thought about this some more, I think it’s a good point. The problem with the soccer game analogy is that everyone is completely and acutely aware that you need to score more than the other side in order to win and that that’s the only way to win. With dieting, weight loss, and obesity, a lot of people vaguely believe that calories don’t matter; that there are a lot of thin people who eat lots and lots of food and stay thin; that there are a lot of fat people who eat very little food and stay fat; and so on.
Of course it’s in Taubes’ interest to have some vagueness on this point since he can sell a lot of books by being perceived as giving people permission to pig out.
Having thought about this some more, I think it’s a good point. The problem with the soccer game analogy is that everyone is completely and acutely aware that you need to score more than the other side in order to win and that that’s the only way to win. With dieting, weight loss, and obesity, a lot of people vaguely believe that calories don’t matter; that there are a lot of thin people who eat lots and lots of food and stay thin; that there are a lot of fat people who eat very little food and stay fat; and so on.
Of course it’s in Taubes’ interest to have some vagueness on this point since he can sell a lot of books by being perceived as giving people permission to pig out.