How times change

Typoz

Member
I remember when this forum used to be populated with discussions of universal significance. Nowadays its degenerated into a focus on politics, and a parochial one focussed on a particular region at that. Plus a few enthusiastic expounders of their own pet theories, which are closed to alternative views.

How the **** did we get here?

I guess the simple answer is by driving away those who are interested in what used to be a core focus of this forum.There's room here for a much wider spectrum of ideas than are expressed within the current structure. I guess we all have to bear a portion of responsibility for that.
 
Perhaps. It's hard to put a finger on it. Some valuable members were banned even on the old forum. Nowadays people are banned, but like a phoenix they reappear. Thus we are left with the most resilient, the most determined. That's fine as far as it goes. I'd also like to hear from the timid, the hesitant, the restrained. Perhaps it's me that should look elsewhere.
 
Barring people from threads, even the show threads, on ideological grounds rather than thread behaviour hasn't helped IMO (this isn't just a skeptic issue - note the treatment of hjortron and gabriel)
 
I haven't even listened to the last half dozen podcasts. I find the whole thing rather boring. I guess I felt some sense of community at one time and that is why I return.
 
Any forum will ebb and flow with a core group of regs and numerous members who come for awhile then leave.

My suggestion though: just start threads on the topics you're interested in discussing.
 
I feel as though people may have just gotten bored with hearing similar arguments from the same people on similar subjects. I may not have the full perspective, though, as I haven't looked through every last thread.
 
I feel as though people may have just gotten bored with hearing similar arguments from the same people on similar subjects.
Perhaps.

As I see it, whether of "universal significance" or more "parochial" discourse only goes so far. Mainstream science is what it is and so those who look to it as the sole validation of knowledge have little new to offer. And few are doing. They wait or search for something to pique their interest then think on and opine about it.While that is a valid process, when it is the only one it leads to a merry-go-round of the same old same old. And since they also have no actual experience of other methods of exploring and/or accessing knowledge they have a tough time relating to info offered by those that do.

Given all that, the main areas of active discourse occur when some scientist or accredited intellectual advances something new and recently there hasn't been much going on that hasn't already been gone over ad infinitum.

And back to my original point - discourse only goes so far.
 
I remember when this forum used to be populated with discussions of universal significance. Nowadays its degenerated into a focus on politics, and a parochial one focussed on a particular region at that. Plus a few enthusiastic expounders of their own pet theories, which are closed to alternative views.

How the **** did we get here?

I guess the simple answer is by driving away those who are interested in what used to be a core focus of this forum.There's room here for a much wider spectrum of ideas than are expressed within the current structure. I guess we all have to bear a portion of responsibility for that.

Thanks, makes me feel good.
 
I remember when this forum used to be populated with discussions of universal significance. Nowadays its degenerated into a focus on politics, and a parochial one focussed on a particular region at that. Plus a few enthusiastic expounders of their own pet theories, which are closed to alternative views.

How the **** did we get here?

I guess the simple answer is by driving away those who are interested in what used to be a core focus of this forum.There's room here for a much wider spectrum of ideas than are expressed within the current structure. I guess we all have to bear a portion of responsibility for that.

I hear ya. I only started reading Skeptiko a little more than a year ago and have read just a few threads (mostly when linked) to the old forum. It does seem like there were more people active then as well as more lively conversations. I love the dreams stuff and philosophical conversations.

But, I know I am one of the offenders participating in "politics" threads because I am interested in the Deep State and history (has anyone coined Deep History yet?). I think it intersects with the stuff we talk about here: what is known, how it is known, and who writes our history anyway?!? Like it or not, politics intersects with science, and that contributes to what does and what doesn't get funded.

Not being condescending, btw, just writing out my random thoughts....!
 
Thanks for all the views expressed, I think it may seem as though I was targeting the current activities of members of this forum - which indeed I was. But really my question related just as much to those who are not active members, or have not wanted to join.

As well as ebb and flow of the forum, it may be an individual one. I'm certainly finding myself out of step with the focus of these forums, and maybe that's for me to address, not the forum.
 
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Typoz, I would like to hear what you want to be discussed. (Seriously!) After reading this forum for a liittle over a year and having tremendous respect for seasoned posters, I would like to learn. I thought Gabriel's banning was total BS, especially given the behavior of other posters.
 
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I am interested in the Deep State and history (has anyone coined Deep History yet?). I think it intersects with the stuff we talk about here: what is known, how it is known, and who writes our history anyway?!?

I agree. Though I would state it as "what info is disseminated and why." Plus the idea that what we call science is some . . something that is purely objective and automatically confers on those who work in it a state and approach not influenced by the considerations that influence political views is, at best, naive.

That said, I don't use Skeptiko to discuss politics and I don't see that much of it on here.
 
Typoz, I would like to hear what you want to be discussed. (Seriously!) After reading this forum for a liittle over a year and having tremendous respect for seasoned posters, I would like to learn. I thought Gabriel's banning was total BS, especially given the behavior of other posters.

I occasionally disagreed with Gabriel, but on the whole I considered him a valued member. But forum life, as I've seen elsewhere, can be a rough one, and in terms of moderating policy it's impossible to please everyone.

What would I like to see discussed? Well, I've hinted at it before. Personally I'm not looking for proofs. There's certainly a place for that, and it is right that things should be examined with a critical eye.

However, I'm more interested in things which lie in the region beyond proof. An obvious one is personal experience. I've a huge respect for anyone who feels able to share any of their personal experiences. For example this may include unusual dreams, or indeed experiences while awake.

A related area is the information or ideas which may be found elsewhere, preferably online, though occasionally in books and so on. I don't feel obliged to follow a "this is either true or it is false" path when it come to considering other material. I'm happy to tread an in-between path, and let my intuition be my guide. This may include such things as channelled information - though I'll admit that much of what I've seen doesn't hold my attention for very long.
 
I agree. Though I would state it as "what info is disseminated and why." Plus the idea that what we call science is some . . something that is purely objective and automatically confers on those who work in it a state and approach not influenced by the considerations that influence political views is, at best, naive.

That said, I don't use Skeptiko to discuss politics and I don't see that much of it on here.

True, I don't use Skeptiko to discuss "politics" either. I keep that shit to the political sites. But I do think discussing the Deep State, alt history, Maoism, capitalism and so forth, etc etc DOES relate to what we talk about here. .......:)
 
I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm a very goal oriented person; I like to get stuff done. When I teach something, I expect people to learn, not argue endlessly with me. It doesn't work in construction and it doesn't work here. I don't have any patience for it and it's a poor use of my time anyway.

So I have moved over to topics where the footing would supposedly be more equal; 9/11 and stuff like that. Same problem, different subject. This board is full of people who argue from ignorance and it absolutely sucks the fun out of it.
 
I occasionally disagreed with Gabriel, but on the whole I considered him a valued member. But forum life, as I've seen elsewhere, can be a rough one, and in terms of moderating policy it's impossible to please everyone.

What would I like to see discussed? Well, I've hinted at it before. Personally I'm not looking for proofs. There's certainly a place for that, and it is right that things should be examined with a critical eye.

However, I'm more interested in things which lie in the region beyond proof. An obvious one is personal experience. I've a huge respect for anyone who feels able to share any of their personal experiences. For example this may include unusual dreams, or indeed experiences while awake.

A related area is the information or ideas which may be found elsewhere, preferably online, though occasionally in books and so on. I don't feel obliged to follow a "this is either true or it is false" path when it come to considering other material. I'm happy to tread an in-between path, and let my intuition be my guide. This may include such things as channelled information - though I'll admit that much of what I've seen doesn't hold my attention for very long.

Well, here is where I get bitter about the forum. I wrote a lot of heart-felt posts dealing with dreams, psy, loss and grief, and it was all deleted. Not the off-topic posts. No, the whole thread was deleted. I think you and I did interact on that thread, but... Nope ALL gone. That kind of moderation doesn't help things. Made me hesitate to get invested in threads, but maybe I should not. Happened about a week after I joined, too.
 
Gabriel could have returned at any time. This site is either loosely moderated or self moderated depending on your viewpoint. Anyone who has ever been banned could return. Some would need to return with different behavior. But Gabriel wouldn't be one of those. Even MU could lurk here incognito.

I agree with Typoz about personal experience. I find such accounts interesting. What I would find interesting would be dedicated threads to different subjects that would be maintained as archives of anomalous experiences. Kind of like the NDE documentary thread. But there would be one thread for Shared Death Experiences for example. In the thread could be any links to such experiences on the web. Links to books or PDFs, etc. Discussion about those experiences would be in a related but different thread. That would be a place you could go to peruse any anecdotes or experiences related to that phenomena. There could be one for UFO, one for dreams or OBEs with any kind of veridical nature, etc.

Having been here for a couple of years my interest in a lot of this stuff has run it's course. Now I just consider it all part of the larger mystery. One that won't be solved.

I still maintain an interest in altered states of consciousness of any type.
 
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