I agree. I don’t mind being brought up by mods over quality but I want the chance to go head to toe with all posters, whether they like it or not.

Edit: oops; toe to toe.

Perhaps... and this is an idea worthy of it's own thread.

There should be a section on this site somewhat independent of the forums yet connected. Somehow. Like the Articles page.

People submit questions and if either they are rated enough or answered not to the satisfaction of the Inquirer they are at the top. Sounds like a bit too much work when people could just check the Lounge more often. I don't like saying (believe me I'm up in the middle of the night checking this place) but this isn't the most active site on the internet. And I for one would like to change that.

Can you provide some examples of which threads you had in mind? Genuine question.

This from you on another OP.

“ After all, a society is judged by how they treat the least of them.”

I don't have a comment about this directly, but I was recently searching to see if there are other philosophy discussion places on the internet that might interest me, and I found myself rather intimidated by the standards demanded in them.

I'm looking for a place where I can have a casual conversation with people who are interested in philosophy, preferably with plenty of people who are intelligent and well-educated, but it doesn't have to be exclusively thus. The standards I found many other places demanding seemed like they were all places to submit a rigorous formal argument for critique and rebuttal. Or else a place to meekly submit your questions for the supposed experts to answer. Not a place to just have an easygoing chat about the topic.

This place has its weaknesses, but it's certainly a lot more welcoming than others I've seen.

I think the 'General Philosophy' section is the tricky part.

Yes, it’s not like anyone’s going to come up with something profound, or never said or thought of before.

Yeah, sure. If I owned this site I'd do things differently. I mean. Not by much. Not really. Just add more. I am no esteemed philosopher or scientist and I would be denying myself knowledge, experience, and discovery by not allowing them to post in an environment that is suitable to them that I'm allowed to observe.

But really, what’s the underlying problem with these requests about quality? The mods step in; we generally agree with them,

I read the first few pages here but not all 21. I see it's closed; the end comments seem heated but not bad, but then I'm not sure about the Baden quote of someone else without comment:

https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/8608/god-almost-certainly-exists

This is a mediocre OP, but the topic I find to be worthy of the main forum. Has it been asked a thousand times? Yes, and that indicates something about the question. Anyways:

https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/8503/know-thyself-is-it-the-beginning-of-all-wisdom

This is MASSIVE (I don't know if I agree, and I would have approached the topic with more nuance myself, but)

https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/8541/philosophy-is-mainly-about-style-not-substance

Controversial, and I don't condone it, but this one stayed main page for a good while if I'm not mistaken

https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/8481/the-wldm-movement-white-lives-dont-matter

A quick scan of this one seems a little nutty but I like the topic, and it's a topic I'm interested in

https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/8424/is-the-evolution-of-technology-infinite

That's just a quick cursory glance; there have been others over the past year or more. And this has all been just off the top of my head as I browse through.

I've asked on several occasions for people in threads about really complex ideas to "simplify", "break it down a bit", or if they could "put it in layman's terms". I can't recall a time when they didn't.

That's an informative perspective; thanks. Maybe we're lucky here!

The mods step in; we generally agree with them, — Brett

That's true, but there's also an unintended (or perhaps intended) consequence to a mod deleting your thread, it makes you more reluctant to create another one. Usually the mod will say "low post quality", and that's it. Many users are thinking"I don't know what it means to improve my post quality", I guess I'll just won't post anymore.

Controversial, and I don't condone it, but this one stayed main page for a good while if I'm not mistaken — Noble Dust

Correction: I wrote that one in the lounge. :rofl:

I’ve questioned Baden about removals of my OPs and generally got helpful feedback.

It doesn’t make me reluctant to post again. It’s other posters who sometimes do that, but in the end I want to try again. “School of hard knocks” I guess, which isn’t so bad.

You didn't write that OP...?

I did.

School of hard knocks is what shaped any measly ability I may or may not have in debating, but it wouldn't exist if my intermediate-level lack luster threads from 4 years ago had been moved to the lounge. No one would have read them, I wouldn't have received my hard knocks, and no one would have benefited in any way, including lurkers (which is huge, btw).

What you quoted was from this OP by ernestm:

https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/8481/the-wldm-movement-white-lives-dont-matter/p1

I agree.

Yes, and I should have added this, but feels too late to edit: I was a lurker on the old PF for years before I posted on it. I gained so much from reading all sorts of perspectives; high level, mid level, even some beautiful "low" level perspectives.

My bad.

You're kind of right because I didn't think the moderators wanted that in the main forum.

It doesn’t make me reluctant to post again. — Brett

I guess I'm just an oddball.

Why’s that?

Edit: oh, because of your reluctance.

I won't comment on the God thread, it's too long and I didn't make that decision. As for the others:

(1) Know Thyself is barely a thread. Frankly it ought to have been deleted if it were up to me.

(2) 'Style': Again, barely a thread. Contains no argument, just an assertion, based on anecdote. That it was moved to the lounge and not deleted is again generous.

(3) WLDM: this is almost entirely anecdote and personal story. It's not philosophy. It really does belong in the lounge.

(4) Evolution of Tech: this seems like a borderline case. The opening line that "Absolutely all the inventions so far, no matter how sophisticated, serve directly or indirectly to ancient desires, almost instinctive" is prima facie strange, if not highly contestable, but the thread just takes it as a given and tries to roll from there. The OPs responses in the thread were weirdly dogmatic as well. I'll grant that this is neither here nor there.

Most low-quality posters don't even know that their posts are low quality. For those who do: You're either complaining about the mods decision to delete your thread, or you're asking for help. I usually don't do any.

I already admired that this site is not the best match for me.

And I'll simply post the rules of starting threads in that are pinned at the top of the board, which we are, quite frankly, lax about enforcing:

Don't start a thread unless:

a) Genuinely interested in the topic you've begun and are willing to engage those who engage you.

b) Able to write a thoughtful OP of reasonable length that illustrates this interest, and to provide arguments for any position you intend to advocate.

c) Capable of writing a decent title that accurately and concisely describes the content of your OP.

d) Starting an original topic, i.e. a similar discussion is not already active.

I won't comment on the God thread, it's too long and I didn't make that decision. — StreetlightX

Understood, but I would like to know why it was moved (btw I'm not like demanding a reason for any thread being moved or anything). I don't have to know, I would just like to, in this case. But I'm aware of making extra work for you mods, which I don't want to do. It's water under the bridge, as far as I'm concerned.

(1) Know Thyself is barely a thread. Frankly it ought to have been deleted if it were up to me.

(2) 'Style': Again, barely a thread. Contains no argument, just an assertion, based on anecdote. That it was moved to the lounge and not deleted is again generous. — StreetlightX

I won't try to engage in a debate about these topics; i'll just mention that 1) Know thyself is a classic topic, albeit maybe annoying. Fine, whatever.

2) Metaphilosophy about style is indeed VERY MUCH a thread, rather than barely. This is self evident.

3) WLDM being anecdotal is certainly true (I read alot but not all of the thread) but it was highly prescient to the time which to me makes it as philosophical as any other political thread (and how appropriate political threads are to the main forum is another can of worms, in my view). But sure, it can go either way.

And at the end of the day, @StreetlightX, as I mentioned, I just scrolled through page 1 of the Lounge to compile that. Your rebuttal of what you think about those threads certainly doesn't stand as a satisfactory response to the overarching issue I'm highlighting here. It's a good start for sure, though. But not the end of the topic. And I'd love any and all MOD's comments about the nature and use of The Lounge. Comments that are honest and not politically pandering to us poor plebs... (I'm smiling, ok? It's a fucking joke that's also not a joke! Role with it; laugh!)

Metaphilosophy about style is indeed VERY MUCH a thread, rather than barely. This is self evident. — Noble Dust

Dude, come on. StreetlightX already ripped my thread, I don’t need him to do it again. :cry:

Honestly the fact that this forum is ad free really should mean something.

I mean, unless the guy is loaded or something that fact really is quite cool. I may have a slight complex but basically ads do distract me.

Awesome site. :up: