missing forums...

I admired Open Mind's contribution to the Mind-Energy forum, and shall be following his lead and going down with the Titanic. The reasons, in no particular order, are:

The old forum was interesting and I learned a lot. For a long time Skeptiko emulated the best of M-E but that has changed, and it's a good opportunity to step outside those conversations.
I have serious doubts whether a meaningful dialogue with sceptics is possible. Pretty much all sceptics debate on a can't>isn't basis, and the terms of discussion are hostage to a metaphysic in denial of itself. Which means even the smarter conversations are an excursion in language, not evidence for or against.
Having spent decades looking at the data, I'm convinced there's something going on. I don't need additional accounts, testimonies or opinion to add to the existing mountain. I don't think the how and why will be addressed in my lifetime, or my grandchildren's, but the role of consciousness may have to be seriously re-appraised.
Discussions about religion and metaphysics bore me. I acknowledge that subscription to any belief goes way beyond the confines of philosophy, and I'm comfortable with that extrapolation. There's no reason to submit the human condition to the reductionist assumptions of the laboratory.
People spend too much time in front of computer screens, myself included. When I think of the hours wasted sifting the opinions of people I'll never know and whose motivations I can only guess at, in the last twenty years, it's really quite depressing. I intend to use spare time writing, painting and keeping fit.
Forums are notoriously difficult to moderate. Avoiding cosiness, promoting dissenting voices while avoiding insults and abuse, recognising the difference between trolling and challenges to the status quo, avoiding repetition and the grinding of axes require the patience of a saint and the wisdom of Solomon. Most forums fall well short.
There's more but I've gone on long enough. Good luck!
 
I have serious doubts whether a meaningful dialogue with sceptics is possible. Pretty much all sceptics debate on a can't>isn't basis, and the terms of discussion are hostage to a metaphysic in denial of itself.
I know what you mean, but every so often you come across a sceptic that really hasn't come across the data - and is bowled over when they see what is available.
People spend too much time in front of computer screens
Maybe they do, but never before has the average guy had the opportunity to talk with such a range of people with so much to discuss.

Time spent in front of a computer screen can mean many things.
recognising the difference between trolling and challenges to the status quo,
Actually, I think most trolls fall cleanly over the line if you give them a week or two. I can only think of two exceptions!

Trolls in general aren't challenging the status quo - they are interesting in creating chaos IMHO.

Even so, I understand how you feel.

David
 
Haven't read all the comments so maybe this has been resolved, but I am very disappointed in this decision. I just joined last year and have been working my way through the different forums as I've had time and where interest and links have led. I've made mental notes of stuff I wanted to read later when I could. There was a lot of valuable insight and information there and POOF! now its gone. Maybe a short transition period is fine for those of you who know what you want to pick out, but for newcomers it kinda sucks. :(
 
I'm also happy to export, but don't see how to do from https://xenforo.com/. if anyone wants to take this on I'm happy to allow it.

I'd expect the export would have to be at the database level. Let me dig in to the documentation on the import tool we'd be using to see if I can figure out exactly which tables we'd need to export.

Alex, I sent you a PM about this, did you get it? Am very keen to get a database dump (with the missing forums re-enabled - you can delete/hide them again after dumping the DB) so that we can import the missing forums into Psience Quest. What do you think?

If a DB dump is out of the question, there are two other possibilities:
  1. You give us remote access to your Skeptiko-Forum DB.
  2. You restore the missing forums to an "Archive" section and set them to prevent further posting.
Please at least think about it, Alex. We are all very keen not to lose the contents of those forums.
 
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ok, I have restored the forums and will leave them up for 1 week (until 8/21).

good luck with the new forums.
 
I think they are all there.

But how does one download an entire forum with many threads many pages in each thread?
Is there a simple way to download an entire forum? What is it?

Otherwise, I think xenforo allows you to export forums. Could you export the forums and make the export files available for download?
 
But how does one download an entire forum with many threads many pages in each thread?
Is there a simple way to download an entire forum? What is it?

Otherwise, I think xenforo allows you to export forums. Could you export the forums and make the export files available for download?
it doesn't as far as I can tell (Iooked).

I may just leave them up for a while and disable new posts.
 
@Alex, I saw that the "Extended Consciousness and Spirituality" subforum has now also been scheduled to be deleted. :( Is there any reason? I put so much in there.

I notice a Donald Trump thread was recently just started there after Other Stuff got shut down. Is that why? Could we just then get rid of that thread and keep that forum up?
 
@Alex, I saw that the "Extended Consciousness and Spirituality" subforum has now also been scheduled to be deleted. :( Is there any reason? I put so much in there.

I notice a Donald Trump thread was recently just started there after Other Stuff got shut down. Is that why? Could we just then get rid of that thread and keep that forum up?
I only put it back up so you guys can copy what you need into yr new forum.

I thought this was the plan.
 
I only put it back up so you guys can copy what you need into yr new forum.

I thought this was the plan.
I'm not involved in the specifics of the "copying", Alex, I'll leave that others if it can be done. I just didn't know you were also deleting this specific sub-forum too. That hadn't been announced - you were initially saying you were getting rid of CD and Other Stuff only.
 
I'm not involved in the specifics of the "copying", Alex, I'll leave that others if it can be done. I just didn't know you were also deleting this specific sub-forum too. That hadn't been announced - you were initially saying you were getting rid of CD and Other Stuff only.
as far as I know, everything that I took offline has been restored. GTG
 
I admired Open Mind's contribution to the Mind-Energy forum, and shall be following his lead and going down with the Titanic. The reasons, in no particular order, are:

The old forum was interesting and I learned a lot. For a long time Skeptiko emulated the best of M-E but that has changed, and it's a good opportunity to step outside those conversations.
I have serious doubts whether a meaningful dialogue with sceptics is possible. Pretty much all sceptics debate on a can't>isn't basis, and the terms of discussion are hostage to a metaphysic in denial of itself. Which means even the smarter conversations are an excursion in language, not evidence for or against.
Having spent decades looking at the data, I'm convinced there's something going on. I don't need additional accounts, testimonies or opinion to add to the existing mountain. I don't think the how and why will be addressed in my lifetime, or my grandchildren's, but the role of consciousness may have to be seriously re-appraised.
Discussions about religion and metaphysics bore me. I acknowledge that subscription to any belief goes way beyond the confines of philosophy, and I'm comfortable with that extrapolation. There's no reason to submit the human condition to the reductionist assumptions of the laboratory.

People spend too much time in front of computer screens, myself included. When I think of the hours wasted sifting the opinions of people I'll never know and whose motivations I can only guess at, in the last twenty years, it's really quite depressing. I intend to use spare time writing, painting and keeping fit.
Forums are notoriously difficult to moderate. Avoiding cosiness, promoting dissenting voices while avoiding insults and abuse, recognising the difference between trolling and challenges to the status quo, avoiding repetition and the grinding of axes require the patience of a saint and the wisdom of Solomon. Most forums fall well short.
There's more but I've gone on long enough. Good luck!
Well said this was a point I was trying to make in the thread about me seeing TK firsthand. And people not buying in to it cause they think it would be more widespread, but I'm honestly just tired (in general) of the back and forth, the studies from the lab, bellyaching about peer review. I seen it happen for me its done I KNOW ITS REAL. Don't believe me fine? I still intend to use this forum, I like it a lot its pretty clean. I agree most people use computers TOO MUCH, and i'm also on a campaign to improve my self and create more space for my hobbies. I will still come on contribute to this forum, this forum has a lot of potential.
 
ok, I have restored the forums and will leave them up for 1 week (until 8/21).

good luck with the new forums.
Great to see that the two forums you deleted "Critical Discussions Among Proponents and Skeptics" and "Other Stuff" have been restored with a notice that they have been scheduled for deletion. Thanks! :-)

But I am also a little confused: Now a third forum "Extended Consciousness & Spirituality" has also been scheduled for deletion. This surprises me: where as I can understand that you have no more interest in debates with skeptics nor random stuff, I would have assumed that you were still interested in debates about extended consciousness and spirituality. Has that also changed?

Back when you launced the new forum you also made podcast #229: "The 5 Things You Need to Know About Skeptiko" where you explained what Skeptiko was about. I was wondering: perhaps it is time to make another such podcast?
 
Great to see that the two forums you deleted "Critical Discussions Among Proponents and Skeptics" and "Other Stuff" have been restored with a notice that they have been scheduled for deletion. Thanks! :)

But I am also a little confused: Now a third forum "Extended Consciousness & Spirituality" has also been scheduled for deletion. This surprises me: where as I can understand that you have no more interest in debates with skeptics nor random stuff, I would have assumed that you were still interested in debates about extended consciousness and spirituality. Has that also changed?

Back when you launced the new forum you also made podcast #229: "The 5 Things You Need to Know About Skeptiko" where you explained what Skeptiko was about. I was wondering: perhaps it is time to make another such podcast?
I just did... 357
 
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