I am not sure who Baden is but hope to get to know everyone in a short time. — weareacouple

I'm the dude who banned you. Twice. :kiss:

was it boobs or dangly parts the second time?

I guess the pair aren't graduating to higher abstractions any time soon.

It was your detective work in discovering a returning banned member/couple. Right on. :ok:

Dude any more UV tanning and they'll get a melanoma. Anyway, what are we peasants to such gods?

we need to figure out how to not be such bigheaded jerks. — Terrapin Station

I wouldn't say that intellectual generosity is a hallmark of this forum.

The turnover rate has nothing to do with philosophy. Revolving door participation is a feature of public fora, whether they are actual or virtual. It's not a bug, it's a feature.

As for guiding the peasants into higher abstractions, just put the hay down where the goats can get at it. Most people will, quite appropriately, find their level of interest. Over time a sub-population will migrate across the board, forming layers of interest with people like you on the farthest side, and others with less interest in abstractions in bands closer to the starting point.

I'm sorry, but there is nothing special about the field of philosophy among other academic fields. "Nothing special" is not disparagement. There are a host of academic fields which will interest people differentially. If philosophy or biology or supply chain management or literature or mathematics or history or music or... whatever is your thing, do that.

Anyway, what are we peasants to such gods? — Wallows

We are like prisoners chained to a cave wall, mistaking a play of shadows for reality. :cry:

I used to work at movie theaters. You should see how zombified people are when they come out of a good movie.

Neither cranks nor bigheaded jerks will survive the return of Jesus, though it seems at least one horsee will. My return, of course, only added to their number. Well, not the number of horses. — Ciceronianus the White

An appropriately crank-like response. ;-)

what's with the turnover rate, can we do something about guiding newbies into phil 101 threads and then having them graduate into higher abstractions? — Wallows

That's isn't even the biggest problem. It's not just the retention rate of active members that is low, about ninety percent of the members here were never active in the first place.
https://thephilosophyforum.com/profile/members/online
I wonder why that is. I mean why sign up for a place that you don't use?

Would-be spammers?

@Erik, how's buisness? Post something philosophical!

Is there anything we can do about this?

Is there anything we can do about this? — Wallows

Yes: Stop worrying about it.

To use a phrase which you popularized a while back, The Philosophy Forum "is what it is". What it is is a free chat room of sorts where people share ideas in a generally civil, thoughtful manner, helped by a hit squad of volunteer moderators who do a good job of keeping the site free of garbage. There's no barrier to entry and no achievement grades once one signs up. It is there for the taking or the leaving. Moreover, the forum is pitched to a relatively narrow population: People who are interested in philosophy, or at least in having thoughtful conversations about Life As We Know It.

Please be aware that people do the same thing on even fine porn sites. They view; they sign up; they may or may not post so much as a plaid wool-covered breast; they get bored or feel guilty and are not seen again. Some people--usually guys--just like the philosophy forum--contribute content and keep the site as active as it is. Tumblr has millions of porn fans who sign up and "come and go" so to speak.

If people don't stay with porn sites that offer physical pleasure as a reward, how much less likely are they to stay on a site that offers them perhaps only slight interest and many conundrums?

But the Hoi polloi need to be conditioned, would you agree Glaucon?

we need to figure out how to not be such bigheaded jerks.
— Terrapin Station

I wouldn't say that intellectual generosity is a hallmark of this forum. — uncanni

Interesting. What do you mean by 'intellectual generosity' ?
What would you say is 'a hallmark of this forum' ?
Intellectual selfishness ?

Interesting. What do you mean by 'intellectual generosity' ?
What would you say is 'a hallmark of this forum' ?
Intellectual selfishness ? — Amity

Interesting indeed how you jump from my opinion to the extreme opposite. I'd say a hallmark of this forum is quite a bit of confusion and digressed discussions, and while there are some very generous intellectuals on the forum, there are also some who consider themselves too superior to take someone else's comments seriously. The same old kinds of intellectual games that have been played all along...

Interesting indeed how you jump from my opinion to the extreme opposite — uncanni

I was trying to understand what you meant by 'intellectual generosity'.
I should have stopped with that one question.
But my mind took me to the other end of the spectrum...usually the balance is midway. Is the forum skew whiff ?

Is being a generous intellectual the same as having 'intellectual generosity' ?
Or is that just another intellectual game my mind is playing...

Is being a generous intellectual the same as having 'intellectual generosity' ?
Or is that just another intellectual game my mind is playing... — Amity

I will do my best to "unpack" my idea so you can see what's in my mental suitcase.

A generous intellectual, in my book, is patient with others, never puts others down or dismisses them, shares her/his ideas on a level and in a language that is appropriate to the interlocutor's level of understanding. Kinda like Socrates... Intellectuals should be out to assist each other--not beat each other. At least that's my idea of a utopian forum... community.... mutual understanding...

At least that's my idea of a utopian forum — uncanni

Thanks for the peek into your travel bag :smile:
Community is fine, as is mutual understanding.

It is how we reach understanding, if not consensus, that is important.
I have benefited greatly from such generous individuals but also from those who get my dander up. It is the spark-off which ignites any ashying passion. The irritating itch which keeps me coming back. We decide what is worth our energies...on our journey we can travel light or heavy.
The forum and the mods allow space for both.

Sometimes, I think we are lured into careless, combative language. Perhaps the nature of argumentation in philosophy. It can discourage a more gentle exploration from those with less certainty.
Perhaps forgetting that the beating of intellectual minds stems from the heart...

I hope those creatives and generous intellectuals who have left, for whatever reason, can find a way to return. But only when it is feels good for them...and worthwhile.

Sometimes, I think we are lured into careless, combative language. — Amity

Amity, when I first arrived I caught heavy artillery from a few individuals (with whom I now have polite exachanges); I felt like the new kid on the block and that I was being mocked, rejected, made fun of, not taken seriously, etc. I was really pretty shocked right there at the beginning, like I had to go through some initiation with paddles and hot irons. It really put me on the defensive for a while, cuz some folks wanted to set me up to take a fall. But I've stuck around because there are some very fine people on here, I know that it takes time to establish lines of communication with others, and that mutual understanding comes slowly, as does trust.

I've been on another forum--a growing Cannabis forum--for over three years now, and I have some real good buddies on there now. It's worth slogging through a few trolls...

An observation somewhat tangentially related to another thread of mine on Internet Identities. Is that one needs to dissociate from the world they speak and their attitudes?

A Sapir-Whorf hypothesis can be demonstrated to be exceedingly true in light of this.