Between writing lectures for Antarctica, tweaking a lecture on free will for another university in the Northeast (stay tuned), writing an article on Intelligent Design, and taking care of ducks, I haven’t lately had a lot of free time to post on this site. But the lack of substantial posts over the last week comes mainly from a lack of things that have intrigued me enough to write about. I don’t want to spend my time bashing Trump and his perfidies, as nearly everyone does that, and it’s just too easy.
So while I wait for something to pique my interest, let me just bring up a few issues.
For new readers: PLEASE read the commenting rules (“Da Roolz” in Chicago slang) on the sidebar (here) before you comment for the first time. The main thing I’m looking for in comments is twofold: a). they add to the discussion rather than just saying “I like the post” or “I hate the post” and b). all discussions be conducted with civility. But showing some humor or empathy, without necessarily engaging the subject, is always welcome.
What is civility? It means being polite to me and to the other readers. No name-calling, no accusations of lying, no nastiness, and so on. Treat me and the other commenters as if you’re talking to us face to face. The main reason that people get banned or moderated is not that they disagree with me, but because they are uncivil. The main advice I’d like to impart: Learn how to disagree with someone without insulting them. This is often a problem with new commenters, who don’t read the rules and are used to the rough-and-tumble, take-no-prisoners, shove-a-porcupine approach of many websites.
For old (i.e., long-time) readers. Keep reading, and get in touch with me if you see something that might interest me. I can’t guarantee to respond (I’m sometimes inundated with gazillions of emails), much less to use the items you send, but most of the good stuff I get comes from readers. That said, try not to email me too often, as I get so much correspondence that I am starting to lose or forget stuff. Unless I’m in regular connection with someone as an “e-friend”, a couple of emails a week au maximum would be good.
Finally, be aware of whether you might be dominating a thread. I’ve suggested in Da Roolz that if you make more than 15% of the comments on a post (1 out of six or so), you’re probably commenting too much. I’m pretty flexible about this, as sometimes an interesting one-on-one discussion takes place, and I’m loath to tell someone, “Hey, could you make fewer comments?” What I want to prevent is someone hijacking threads and turning them to their own concerns, which is a form of trolling. I don’t see this as a serious problem here, but do leave room for other people to comment.
If you have suggestions about the site, nearly everyone knows my email, which you can get by clicking certain links at the upper right of the screen; so don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Thanks!
On this topic, Peter Boghossian has a new book out – something like “How To Have Impossible Conversations”
I’m hoping to get it soon. The book, that is.
Here it is – James Lindsay is co-author
How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide,
… apologies but I cannot obtain a decent link! Must google on your own.
There’s a long review on Areo https://areomagazine.com/2019/09/03/impossible-conversations/
It may be time to trade in my old readers for new readers, although my opthamologist says my eyesight is little changed.
What happened to your old readers, did they neglect to follow da roolz?
I believe the too much commenting on a post is still a problem. Yesterday’s post on guns is a good example and I stepped in too often. Sometimes it just gets to me but will cut back.
I really do love your posts, and appreciate all the work you put into them, but can you explain what’s the deal with the “Hili Dialogue” posts? Why are there semi-regular (mostly mundane, IMHO) fictional dialogues with a cat (and in Polish too)? I find it baffling.
Hili dialogues have been a daily part of this site since almost the beginning. Hili is the cat of my dear friends in Poland who run a rationalist website, and before Hili there was a predecessor Pia, who also had dialogues with Andrzej before she died. It is simply how Andrzej envisions a cat interacting with him if the cat could speak. If you find them mundane and boring, then simply don’t read them. But that’s the history, and Hili is here to stay.
I have to say, that I find some of the things like the Hili Dialogue posts to be something I really enjoy about this site. So much of my news feed is bogged down with heavy topics (which there are here as well), it is nice to occasionally have a break with something fun and silly.
I very much enjoy Hili and her philosophical comments. In fact she’s my third favourite cat (after Xhimi and Bella). And PCC(E)’ potpourri of items are ideal for starting my day while drinking my morning coffee.
Exactly. +1, Ms Radcliffe.
To be able over java to start my usually
quite early arising with the lightness of
Ms Hili’s and Mr Koraszewski’s interacting
fusses and furry purrings for each other
with, as well, Ms Koraszewska’s occasional
anthropomorphic explanations thereof,
just puts a lilt with actual heft
onto what can easily and otherwise turn out,
next, to be … … several hours
of a(ny) day’s mendacity.
Blue
Understandably, hot topics bring out emotions. Got to remind myself of our “better angels”.
That conversation was one I also have strong opinions on, but nothing particular useful, new, clever or humorous to add. That was one of them.
Fortunately, you probably came the closest to representing my point of view, and I’m far happier to have someone who thinks/writes better than me to make the case.
This was *supposed* to appear under Randall Schenck’s comment…
Speaking of the links near the top, it seems that “Author Website” brings up scary warnings in my browser. It looks like it is secured with a certificate that doesn’t cover Jerry’s page. Probably worth asking some website administrator for uchicago.edu about figuring that out.
Due to your Roolz Civility Clause (which I dearly appreciate), I can even share columns with my one conservative friend. (A decent person otherwise, and very dedicated cat person, with an inside and outside feral population.)
She was always posting that *no one* on “The Left” ever addressed these issues, and so I started repeatedly sending yours that call out nitwits on the left. This year she has started posting a fair number of them.
I think it’s about this time, when commitments demand, we and most probably you, miss Grania.. the taker upper of the slack, in a good way of course. ✌