Young Philosophers Forum

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This might turn into a proper discussion thread rather than a new member question.

There is possibly value if young philosophers talk among themselves without interference from older philosophers. Was the Young Philosophers Forum originally meant to provide a place for this? Are there even enough 13-17 year olds on this forum to get a good thread going?

I don't know if new management and moderators have any ideas on this.

Personally, I'd rather we just do without the Young Philosophers Forum. There are some good threads started there and it just seems silly to segregate those threads off from the others.

Any thoughts on this matter?

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@Deckard,

i have also asked for guidelines in the past and have avoided that section of the forum thinking my ideas would be a hindrance there.

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@Deckard,

As I remember, the original idea of having a young philosophers forum was to allow them a place to discuss ideas, but without the same sort of requirements for philosophical articulation and knowledge that one might expect in other forums.

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@jgweed,

jgweed;110918 wrote:

As I remember, the original idea of having a young philosophers forum was to allow them a place to discuss ideas, but without the same sort of requirements for philosophical articulation and knowledge that one might expect in other forums.

But, suppose you are young at heart?

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@Deckard,

^15

I don't even know if this is a good idea. Young Philosophers can gain knowledge through older philosopher. I've only been a part of the forum for a couple days, and I know that's the case for me. It would be good, however, for us to talk amongst ourselves about philosophical things. We can form our own ideas based upon what each of us know, through debate and what not.

But so far, I love it here. People of different age, ethnicity, religion, and politic can all share ideas. Seems like it's working fine without a "Young philosophers forum".

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@Deckard,

I question the purpose of the young philosophers forum. It seems that all that ends up happening is a bunch of adults jumping into discussions, which defeats the purpose.

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@Theaetetus,

Theaetetus;110950 wrote:

I question the purpose of the young philosophers forum. It seems that all that ends up happening is a bunch of adults jumping into discussions, which defeats the purpose.

Then you are not questioning its purpose. You are condemning its misuse.

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@Deckard,

There are good arguments either way for its use. Philosophers are an unruly lot, and in practice few forums are all that pristine in content or purpose.

No one is ever forced to post only in some forums simply because of their age (which seems to me at least not relevant to thinking ability), and the Young Philosophers Forum is no exception. It is there for Members of the community to use and by that to define in practice its content. And if there are areas of concerns and interest and problems to teens, the forum might be a place for their discussion.

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@kennethamy,

kennethamy;110967 wrote:

Then you are not questioning its purpose. You are condemning its misuse.

What the **** does it matter? I am questioning its purpose because of its misuse.

Why must you be a jackass and nitpick on everything that is insignificant?

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@Theaetetus,

Theaetetus;111252 wrote:

What the **** does it matter? I am questioning its purpose because of its misuse.

Why must you be a jackass and nitpick on everything that is insignificant?

Softly, softly, Theaetetus. Didn't your mother tell you that if you cannot say something nice, don't say it at all? You betray your name. Theaetetus seems to have been a very nice person in the dialogue. (By the way, you did not seem to be questioning its purpose. If you had, wouldn't you have suggested that the the young persons's forum be eliminated? All you did was point out it was being misused.)

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@Deckard,

actually that is what was good about thea's comment, and the reason i thanked kennethamy for calling attention to the fact that it is not an issue at all, the forum thread being there or not being there, but it is misuse of it that is unfortunate, just in case the meaning of theaetetus' post had escaped anybody. .

did i miss something?

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@jgweed,

jgweed;111230 wrote:

There are good arguments either way for its use. Philosophers are an unruly lot, and in practice few forums are all that pristine in content or purpose.

...

It is there for Members of the community to use and by that to define in practice its content.

Nicely put. I changed my mind. I don't think it should be removed. It serves a purpose. If nothing else it recognizes and welcomes younger philosophers to the forum.

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@salima,

salima;111256 wrote:

actually that is what was good about thea's comment, and the reason i thanked kennethamy for calling attention to the fact that it is not an issue at all, the forum thread being there or not being there, but it is misuse of it that is unfortunate, just in case the meaning of theaetetus' post had escaped anybody. .

did i miss something?

Yes. I am afraid that what Theaetetus calls "nitpicking", I call, "accuracy" which I (perhaps) think is more valuable in philosophy than he does, and which is sometimes sadly lacking. Words are the tools of philosophy. We should respect them, and use them as they were meant to be used. They are not marshmallows.

---------- Post added 12-14-2009 at 11:31 AM ----------

Deckard;111258 wrote:

Nicely put. I changed my mind. I don't think it should be removed. It serves a purpose. If nothing else it recognizes and welcomes younger philosophers to the forum.

Yes it should not be removed, just not misused.

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@kennethamy,

kennethamy;111259 wrote:

Yes. I am afraid that what Theaetetus calls "nitpicking", I call, "accuracy" which I (perhaps) think is more valuable in philosophy than he does, and which is sometimes sadly lacking. Words are the tools of philosophy. We should respect them, and use them as they were meant to be used. They are not marshmallows.

If this was a philosophical discussion I would agree with the idea that I was not accurate. But questioning the purpose or misuse of the section is hardly a philosophical discussion that needs the accuracy you desire. You have sh!t all over general discussions on the forum nitpicking about accuracy where no accuracy is required. Not every discussion on this forum is philosophical and thus, should not be scrutinized as such.

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@Theaetetus,

Theaetetus;111267 wrote:

If this was a philosophical discussion I would agree with the idea that I was not accurate. But questioning the purpose or misuse of the section is hardly a philosophical discussion that needs the accuracy you desire. You have sh!t all over general discussions on the forum nitpicking about accuracy where no accuracy is required. Not every discussion on this forum is philosophical and thus, should not be scrutinized as such.

I'll try to remember to be sloppy when I don't have to be neat. You let me know when that is. O.K.? Actually I thought that it was important whether it was thought the forum should be abolished as useless, or should be maintained but not misused. But I guess not. Am I right? In any case, you really should watch your mouth. I think that insults are supposed to be dimly looked at. (By the way, I am surprised that you would agree that you were not accurate if it had been a philosophical discussion. I have seen no evidence of that from reading your other posts).

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@Deckard,

Perhaps we could return the to original question about the intent of the forum, and whether it serves a useful purpose for the community. If the latter is answered affirmatively, then how can it be improved if that is needed?

I for one would enjoy reading comments (pro and con and in between) from other Members, especially those who frequent the forum, rather than personal attacks which do not address the topic.

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@kennethamy,

kennethamy;111259 wrote:

Yes. I am afraid that what Theaetetus calls "nitpicking", I call, "accuracy" which I (perhaps) think is more valuable in philosophy than he does, and which is sometimes sadly lacking. Words are the tools of philosophy. We should respect them, and use them as they were meant to be used. They are not marshmallows.

OK, I'll admit to misusing marshmallows, but I still respect them in the morning! :flowers:

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@Deckard,

Deckard;110897 wrote:

This might turn into a proper discussion thread rather than a new member question.

There is possibly value if young philosophers talk among themselves without interference from older philosophers. Was the Young Philosophers Forum originally meant to provide a place for this? Are there even enough 13-17 year olds on this forum to get a good thread going?

I don't know if new management and moderators have any ideas on this.

Personally, I'd rather we just do without the Young Philosophers Forum. There are some good threads started there and it just seems silly to segregate those threads off from the others.

Any thoughts on this matter?

I have been wondering about that forum myself. There appear to be no guidelines regarding it, whether older people should refrain from posting there or not. It is "for young philosophers ages 13 - 17", but many things are for such people that involve the participation of elders (e.g., pediatrics).

If older people should not post there, then there should be notification of that, and enforcement, probably through making it impossible for older people to post there, based upon registration age (allowing moderators to be exceptions, of course, for their official function).

If it is simply a place where a gentler tone is required, then that should be specified.

It would be good if some guidelines were specified, so that people who want to comply with the intentions of those running the site would be better able to do so.

So far, I have not posted there, because I am older than 17. But I have noticed that it does not seem to stop others, so perhaps my former thoughts on its function are at odds with its actual function. It would be nice to know what, exactly, it is supposed to be.

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