Quote:
Originally Posted by P-hack
The main problem is that there is so much noise, and it is very detrimental. Assume we are here for one reason (save gas), when others hijack the forum with heavy controversy (politics/religion/etc) then they steal that initiative, that unifying cause, for their own agenda. Actual projects here are pretty low, just a lot of bickering. You may agree with that agenda but plenty of smart/bright people do not, or at least do not think this is the place for it.
Believers will go on ad nauseum (perhaps some Patty Hearst syndrome after listening to Al Gore preach about thermal runaway), it is simple self siloing, not intellectual victory, and it is bringing down the site as a whole IMHO.
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The off-topic politics/religion discussion has always been my favorite in forums, and every good forum has a place for these. Pursuing a sound philosophy is extremely important because it is the motivator behind all action. It gives purpose and perspective to any action.
While discussion often doesn't result in moving someone, it sometimes does. I've had several instances where I thought one thing, shared my ideas with others, and was shown to have an opinion that was incongruent with my philosophy or otherwise untrue. I have changed my position on topics such as capital punishment, drug law, prostitution, and even global warming. Other times the debate reinforces a position when no opponent can offer a valid counter argument.
Global warming is an especially difficult topic because there are so many areas of debate. Is GW real? Is it man-made? Is it bad? How bad? What can be done about it? What should we do about it? What should we force others to do about it? Considering war, poverty, famine, disease and the U.S. tax code
, how important is this?
My current position is that MMGW is real, has an impossibly complex set of good and bad outcomes, and is probably not worth spending vast amounts of resources given the many other serious issues that directly harm people.
The one thing I never see being discussed is what are some of the good outcomes of global warming, and how do they compare with the bad? Warming means that less energy has to be expended on heating. Warming means that the water cycle will increase in speed resulting in overall more rainfall. Warming means less freezing to death. Warming means longer growth cycles for plants. There are sure to be a lot more positive things about global warming, but none are being discussed.