Happy New 2018 Year!!!

Vortex

Member
Hello everyone here,

I wish happy New Year to all who is still here on Skeptiko, and the ones who just entered the forum.

The recent year (only a pair of days left of it...) was probably the hardest for the Skeptiko podcast and forum. Many (if not most) people have left, completely or (like me) partially, creating a new forum, Psience Quest.

Yet Skeptiko podcast is still quite alive, with Alex being able to invite and interview eminent people like Jaques Vallee and Jeffery Kripal.

So, I hope that Skeptiko will gradually recover. Maybe in time, there would be more people here, and more activity.

So, good days and nights for you all!

From Russia with love, Vortex.

d8515a59b5c1c5736c90d0010ac64ff9.jpg
 
Vortex,

Thank you very much for those kind comments. I hope both forum continue (unless of course they were to merge again - which is probably unlikely). Above all, I hope the community of people who are interested in these subjects manages to stay together. It can be rather lonely to believe certain things, which most people dismiss as fantasy!

David
 
I still listen to all the Skeptiko podcasts, but often don't have much to say that is related to them, which I think is what Skeptiko is now meant to be about. This could be transitory because Alex in future might post podcasts I do have more to say about. Some of the the stuff I used to post here is now covered by Psience Quest, and so I tend to post more there. That doesn't mean that I'm any the less a follower of the Skeptiko podcast -- just a less active poster at Skeptiko.

The only problem is that PQ, in my view, tends to relegate discussion of certain topics -- e.g. AIDS, to remote areas where they're marginalised and so I don't see too much point in posting to them. In my view, PQ is overly concerned with how it appears to the casual visitor, and so doesn't want certain issues it considers contentious to be stumbled across accidentally. One has to elect to see and contribute to them.
 
Recent Podcasts haven't been on subjects I'm interested in, so I haven't listened. I live in hope and occasionally read the ensuing comments. Yet to join PQ though I read the occasional thread. Not sure the sceptic/proponent forum has anything new to add to the debate that wasn't aired here years ago. I'm still amazed at the endurance and commitment of people to subjects they claim to disbelieve or have no interest in. It's evangelism of a high order.
 
The only problem is that PQ, in my view, tends to relegate discussion of certain topics -- e.g. AIDS, to remote areas where they're marginalised and so I don't see too much point in posting to them. In my view, PQ is overly concerned with how it appears to the casual visitor, and so doesn't want certain issues it considers contentious to be stumbled across accidentally. One has to elect to see and contribute to them.

Michael,

The discussion of the HIV/AIDS controversy was the only one relegated to a hidden sub-forum out of real concern over possible negative reactions from casual visitors. In the collective view of the founders, the case was made [1] that Psience Quest shouldn't be associated with it any more than it should be associated with Holocaust denial.

Regarding discussions about politics and conspiracy theories, significant majorities expressed the view that discussion about those topics should be allowed, but restricted to hidden sub-forums. [2] [3] [4]. Many members didn't want to be confronted with such content while viewing the "Unread Posts" listings. As well, many of us were concerned that discussions about politics and conspiracy theories might eventually come to dominate the forum, driving away members whose only interests lay in parapsychological, spiritual and general consciousness-related topics. From the beginning, we've thought the principle focus of our forum should be on those topics, and a fair number of our members have striven to provide a steady stream of interesting and intelligent content related to them.

The fact that only about a quarter of the membership has opted to view the hidden discussions suggests that we made the right decision in segregating them from those in our principle focus. Besides, anyone wishing to view them is only a button click away.

[1] Should we permit interviews on non-core subjects, esp AIDS/HIV?
[2] The question of political / conspiracy theory content.
[3] Poll results: Should conspiracy theory / political discussion be allowed on this forum?
[4] Poll results: Where within the Psience Quest forums may political/CT discussions be held?
 
The fact that only about a quarter of the membership has opted to view the hidden discussions suggests that we made the right decision in segregating them from those in our principle focus. Besides, anyone wishing to view them is only a button click away.
You have to realise that these forums exist before you can click to open them - people usually don't study a website for every possible thing to click :)

I clicked your first link about the discussion about whether HIV/AIDS is relevant. For me, the relevance is that plenty of people here have a science background, but find themselves completely at odds with the official science position when it comes to psychic phenomena, NDE's etc. I think it helps to see that science bends the truth in a whole variety of areas - it just doesn't play fair with its own facts. I didn't see anyone put that point of view in the first page, I confess I didn't read the rest!

David
 
Recent Podcasts haven't been on subjects I'm interested in, so I haven't listened. I live in hope and occasionally read the ensuing comments. Yet to join PQ though I read the occasional thread. Not sure the sceptic/proponent forum has anything new to add to the debate that wasn't aired here years ago. I'm still amazed at the endurance and commitment of people to subjects they claim to disbelieve or have no interest in. It's evangelism of a high order.
Don't forget that it may be worth suggesting some new speakers to Alex. I get the impression there is some delay between the interview and the time when it is published, but over time I think Alex needs some new ideas.

The latest Jeffrey Kripal interview could have been expected to be interesting, but in fact it didn't live up to expectations IMHO.

David
 
I'm on both, PQ and Skeptiko, and of course I listen to Skeptiko podcasts, although there are some topics that interest me more than others, like NDE research. I tend to skip the subjects I'n not particularly interested in. I want Skeptiko to continue going strong, and have no plans of abandoning it. Happy New Year, everyone.
 
I'm on both, PQ and Skeptiko, and of course I listen to Skeptiko podcasts, although there are some topics that interest me more than others, like NDE research. I tend to skip the subjects I'n not particularly interested in. I want Skeptiko to continue going strong, and have no plans of abandoning it. Happy New Year, everyone.

And a happy New Year to you too, enrique!:)
 
Discussion boards continue to show we need fewer opinions and wider experience. Big challenge to see our own biases.

Happy New Year.
 
Back
Top