New members cliques ?

@G-Thomson,

your gonna fit RIGHT in then Smile

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@roger,

roger wrote:

Actually, I think the discussions are completely different. The philforum people tend to use established philosophers as a point of departure. Other a2k discussions are usually much more freeform.

Thanks! That's one of the things I liked about Philforum, although I didn't always stick to it myself. Nevertheless I am trying to operate within a 'domain of discourse' or at least in such a way that, whenever challenged, I can draw a type of 'you are here' spot on the map of philosophy. That is an important part of the game in my view.

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So, there is a philosophy game? Not to taunt, just interested.

I haven't been a philosophy major, but I presume there are factions, re you are spot..

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listening to jpeers, if I could spell it right.

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@ossobuco,

Excuse me, jeeprs, re messing up your name. I like variety in discourse, but can understand people wanting their own place for academic talk.

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@Robert Gentel,

I'm all for the ignore button. I just rarely use it. Never used it in Phil forum, hope I won't need to here. I do prefer to make my own ignoring decisions and would like to give everyone a fair shake.

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@ossobuco,

I am not really trying to be academic and in fact am kind of a hippie-rebel-dropout type, personally, and am very much a maverick. But it is just that in the vast array of possible ideas and combinations of worlviews that constitutes modernity, trying to stay oriented with regards to the actual tradition/s of philosophy strikes me as a way of keeping our bearings. I suppose it is an unattainable ideal but anyway I am trying to incorporate it. What it means in practise, is that I hope to be able to refer to some published work in support of the types of arguments that I am using, should it be necessary.

I have noticed that the better-trained philosophers are more capable of imparting actual meaning rather than just throwing up large verbal concoctions that often contain very little meat. There was a guy who turned up on the old forum, didn't say much, but I noticed that whatever he did say was very much to the point, and also there were areas where he wouldn't be drawn. I admired his style.

Anyway most of this criticism is aimed at myself, I am a very eclectic thinker who has read all kinds of stuff from all different fields and I sometimes have to remind myself to try and stay within the bounds of the discipline, or alternatively, to illustrate where I am coming at an issue from perspective that is external to it.

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@jeeprs,

listening, jeep. I'm not all that smart but am watching all this. Which I hope you do.

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@jeeprs,

jeeprs wrote:

roger wrote:

Actually, I think the discussions are completely different. The philforum people tend to use established philosophers as a point of departure. Other a2k discussions are usually much more freeform.

Thanks! That's one of the things I liked about Philforum, although I didn't always stick to it myself. Nevertheless I am trying to operate within a 'domain of discourse' or at least in such a way that, whenever challenged, I can draw a type of 'you are here' spot on the map of philosophy. That is an important part of the game in my view.

I think that type of disciplined discussion is a great thing to have around.

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@GoshisDead,

GoshisDead wrote:

dlowan wrote:

littlek wrote:

I feel like we could really derail serious philosophical discussions. Especially some of us. My first thought was to have there be some sort of keyword in titles designated as serious philosophy. Then I thought - well, that might keep me at bay, but it wouldn't likely keep the master derailers away..... hmmm...

Perhaps our new friends could learn to use the Ignore feauture for the master de-railers, at least at first?

I have already been tempted to use the ignore feature. You may find some of us reluctant to use it on ideological grounds. (refer to any of the several threads on the ignore feature from the Phil section) The general ideal amongst many of us from the old community was that the ignore function would retard potential inclusive debate on a subject, and that ideally even the troll had wisdom to share or a unique view that could teach. I fear that with a large group like this my ideals may be shattered (so to speak)

I'll be really interested in the decision you make after a while here.

You can still see posts by ignored folk if you like, you know.

I understand your reasoning...for me, for a very few people, it has been a good feature to have.

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@GoshisDead,

GoshisDead wrote:

I'm all for the ignore button. I just rarely use it. Never used it in Phil forum, hope I won't need to here. I do prefer to make my own ignoring decisions and would like to give everyone a fair shake.

There are some spammers that flare up from time to time here. Nobody will think you shallow if you ignore the posters that show up for the sole purpose of delivering some targeted racial slur at a member.

I don't think the ignore feature is for ideological insulation. I do think that it sometimes is used for exactly this reason. I can think of some posters on a2k that love to broadcast who they are ignoring. It's obnoxious.

A
R
T

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@failures art,

It's not just racial, you know.

I understand why you privilege that, but it's not the sole issue.

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I had a big Ignore List on the previous forum - I think about 15 names on it at the end. Combination of things - vexatious spirits, openly hostile, unable to create a sentence, that kind of thing. Mainly those with whom real dialog seemed impossible.

As for philosophy being 'a game', that was meant in a kind of allegorical way, not in a dismissive way. This medium has rather unexpectedly become a major pastime for me. Part of what makes it interesting is learning how to do it properly. It is such a big subject, though. Sometimes I despair about really being able to be any good at it. There are so many things to consider.

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anyway this whole change has to be a good thing. Life is change, no more so than in this day and age. I reminded one of my online friends who was upset about it, about the Tibetan Sand Mandalas. They spend weeks doing them, and then they are just swept away. Ah Hum.

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@jeeprs,

I was so excited the other day when I finally got space set aside in my tiny house to make a sand mandala meditation corner. It is actually in my wife's office, but it doesn't conflict with her massage therapy business so its all good.

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@jeeprs,

jeeprs wrote:

Combination of things - vexatious spirits, openly hostile, unable to create a sentence, that kind of thing.

Add terminally depressing to the list, and I think you've got it.

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@dlowan,

actually we had a few of those derailers-in the old days, justin would throw them off and we lost a few good ones too in the process. then when robert took over there was less banning and we had to deal with some unruly people, but i can see the humor in the situation. for instance, suppose everyone decided to use them as practice pieces for getting along with dummies in the real world? we could make them like 'crash dummies', not by resorting to their tactics of course, but be being examples of tolerance and good neighborly advice etc...that would really piss them off.

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Quote:

we could make them like 'crash dummies', not by resorting to their tactics of course, but be being examples of tolerance and good neighborly advice etc...that would really piss them off.

Advice on trolls.
Just dont respond. EVER. In any way shape or form. DO NOT RESPOND.
Or as a dear departed A2k member Noddy used to say Sroll scroll scroll.

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Im no academic, as you will soon find out . I have no philosophical education but the decease forum, I so loved, gave me an insight into philosophy, at a level I have never experienced. For the most , the members were very understanding and encouraged involvement from all sections of the wider community. The characters made that forum, we had become friends, even through disagreement . To suddenly find yourself dropped into new waters from no choice of ours, needs adjustment and understanding. I will give it a chance but I do miss the old forum. I notice a few long term members have not made the transition.

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