[extropy-chat] Appropriate List Content - meaning of ignorance...

[kevinfreels.com]

I love a list who's largest thread is a discussion of what is appropriate
for the list.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Lorrey" <mlorrey at yahoo.com>
To: "ExI chat list" <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2005 6:27 PM
Subject: Re: [extropy-chat] Appropriate List Content - meaning of
ignorance...


>
> --- Adrian Tymes <wingcat at pacbell.net> wrote:
> > --- The Avantguardian <avantguardian2020 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > --- Adrian Tymes <wingcat at pacbell.net> wrote:
> > > > We're talking, of course, about "crap filters".
> > > >
> > > > For this list, part of the crap filter is *ignoring*
> > > > prophecies from
> > > > sources that have usually been to be too vague to
> > > > give useful
> > > > predictions, or incorrect if they are not vague.
> > > >
> > >  I agree. But the key word here is *ignoring*. If
> > > Eugen had just ignored the posts about the vague and
> > > useless prophecies, I would not have been so confused
> > > and upset.
> >
> > Different sense of the term.  "Ignore" as in "they should not be
> > discussed here", not as in "don't pay attention to discussions of
> > them here".
> >
>
> I'm pretty well versed in the English language, and i don't ever recall
> a 'should not' being part of the definition of 'ignore'. Peer pressure,
> i.e. consensual ignorance of the unacceptable, is, by definition a
> consensual activity, i.e. all must implicitly agree that that which is
> ignored should be ignored to maintain group consensus reality, and
> solely for the sake of maintaining group consensus reality. If you
> haven't got consensus, it isn't going to be ignored to save the group
> members from being offended.
>
> > > But ignoring a post is quite different from
> > > calling for the poster to be banned.
> >
> > True.  Banning should happen if and only if milder forms of
> > deterrence
> > fail, and if the poster's continued presence detracts from the list's
> > value.  For example, if a poster repeatedly brings up things
> > irrelevant
> > to the list's topic, driving out discussion of things relevant to the
> > list's topic (and driving away newcomers who don't yet know what to
> > ignore), despite repeated warnings.
> >
> > Key concept: it is possible for someone to take value away from an
> > email list that is owned by someone else.  #include standard
> > arguments
> > for allowing limited defense of private property.  In this case,
> > banning someone does no (or, at most, negligible) harm to the banned
> > person.
>
> Depends. In some cases it might be a marked benefit to them to be
> booted. In others, other list members are harmed by a reduction in
> exposure to a diversity of ideas.
>
> >
> > > I am not saying that you should not use a
> > > "crap filter", I am saying that your "crap filter"
> > > should not be forced upon anybody else. To do
> > > otherwise is censorship plain and simple.
> >
> > We're not "forcing" the filter on anyone, in the same sense that
> > we're not "forcing" anyone to be here.  If you want to talk about
> > prophecies
> > and whatnot, fine: there are other places to do that.  Not here.
>
> Lets see, this list has discussed psychic phenomena as a product of
> scientific study before (Damien) and I also recall a controversial
> study from years ago in Discover looking at world leaders and the
> incidence of their birt on days of eclipses or when
> sun/moon/significant planets were on the horizon or directly overhead.
> We look at scientific ideas of action-at-a-distance on a regular basis,
> and idea futures are regularly discussed (a form of prophesy) and the
> Policy Futures Market was created by one of our members.
>
> How is a prophet any different from a futurist who won't explain his
reasons?
>
> Mike Lorrey
> Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
> "Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
> It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
>                                       -William Pitt (1759-1806)
> Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com
>
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