Liberal free for all coming to an end

[randolph]

Originally Posted by smc

"Evolution produced liberals and conservatives ..."

What a steaming crock of shit!

Have you ever tried to reason with someone who politically disagrees with you? I have spent days arguing with a Libertarian to no avail. And the Ayn Rand bunch are like religious fanatics locked into their internal paradigms.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by randolph

Have you ever tried to reason with someone who politically disagrees with you? I have spent days arguing with a Libertarian to no avail. And the Ayn Rand bunch are like religious fanatics locked into their internal paradigms.

I've always fancied calling such religious/authoritarian strains, "insulated." Nothing gets in.

[smc]

Originally Posted by randolph

Have you ever tried to reason with someone who politically disagrees with you? I have spent days arguing with a Libertarian to no avail. And the Ayn Rand bunch are like religious fanatics locked into their internal paradigms.

Of course, I have. I do so every day. Remember, I teach at a university, where open discourse is a regular part of each day. And, notably, where the kind of arguing that is practiced by some members of this Forum, in this thread, would quickly get someone put on academic probation -- not for the positions taken, but the manner in which the discussion is carried out.

[TeslaDante]

and on the outside of academia, life goes on.
amazing!

[smc]

Originally Posted by TeslaDante

and on the outside of academia, life goes on.
amazing!

The implicit anti-intellectualism aside, there's a reason people are trained for discourse in school, whether it's in kindergarten or a PhD program. It's about the "civil" in "civilization."

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by smc

Of course, I have. I do so every day. Remember, I teach at a university, where open discourse is a regular part of each day. And, notably, where the kind of arguing that is practiced by some members of this Forum, in this thread, would quickly get someone put on academic probation -- not for the positions taken, but the manner in which the discussion is carried out.

Perhaps a similar system should be put into place here on this forum. It would certainly curtail Tracy's juvenile diversionary tactics.

[smc]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Perhaps a similar system should be put into place here on this forum. It would certainly curtail Tracy's juvenile diversionary tactics.

I would like to point out that I did not mention any posters in particular.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by smc

I would like to point out that I did not mention any posters in particular.

That's fine. But I would like to point out that I did.

[randolph]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Perhaps a similar system should be put into place here on this forum. It would certainly curtail Tracy's juvenile diversionary tactics.

Hey, If Tracy wasn't around here to ruffle feathers, what would happen to the thread?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by randolph

Hey, If Tracy wasn't around here to ruffle feathers, what would happen to the thread?

It would be filled with posts containing actual information and this information would be presented without tricks and without the condescension Tracy is so good at. Like the Middle East thread which is blessedly devoid of Tracy's poison.

I am rather fond of the idea of not having to listen to any more of Tracy's--or anyone else's--vapid, entitled, self-satisfied garbage.

[ila]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Perhaps a similar system should be put into place here on this forum. It would certainly curtail Tracy's juvenile diversionary tactics.

I disagree. This site is open to anyone that wants to join and abide by the rules. Everyone is allowed to have and state opinions, no matter what others think of those opinions. And members are allowed to state their opinions in whatever manner they choose, provided they do not break the rules. Each member has his or her own unique way of giving opinions and it is not the intention of this site to censor the manner in which opinions are written.

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

It would be filled with posts containing actual information and this information would be presented without tricks and without the condescension Tracy is so good at. Like the Middle East thread which is blessedly devoid of Tracy's poison.

I am rather fond of the idea of not having to listen to any more of Tracy's--or anyone else's--vapid, entitled, self-satisfied garbage.

Feel free to put anyone on your ignore list with whom you disagree and do not wish to read their posts.

[smc]

Originally Posted by ila

I disagree. This site is open to anyone that wants to join and abide by the rules. Everyone is allowed to have and state opinions, no matter what others think of those opinions. And members are allowed to state their opinions in whatever manner they choose, provided they do not break the rules. Each member has his or her own unique way of giving opinions and it is not the intention of this site to censor the manner in which opinions are written. ...

ila is correct. It doesn't change the fact, though, that independent of the actual positions expressed, the "manner" is almost always a reflection of something important to the discussion. One learns a lot by paying attention to how, for instance (and especially), some in a discussion ignore points brought up in the discourse as rebuttal, and even more important, how some employ debating tricks to deflect attention away from those rebuttals.

[TracyCoxx]

Originally Posted by randolph

And the Ayn Rand bunch are like religious fanatics locked into their internal paradigms.

They are atheists, yet paradoxically, you are correct. I tried to argue with some of them that free will is an illusion using scientific observations. They pride themselves on being rational, so they should have considered the scientific evidence. Yet they also pride themselves on having free will. They couldn't get beyond the assertion that they have free will because well... they just do. Even though they acknowledged everything else non-living in the universe does not have free will. So evidently these atheists believed there was something supernatural going in within our brains.