Don't just hold opinions, think about them constantly. Reexamine them. Test them. And change them when it's merited!
I just stumbled upon Philosophy, etc. and the Carnival of the Citizens. CoC is a brand-new blog carnival for discussing issues and viewpoints civilly — and hopefully to gain the participation of people from all points of the spectrum of thought. Discussions will range from philosophy, to politics, to ethics; and people are urged to bring their deliberative spirit. Quoted from the CoC's homepage:
- You should welcome comments that offer reasonable dissent and counter-arguments.
- Dissenting comments should still aim to be generous, helping the other to see flaws in their previous view, rather than trying to embarrass them or otherwise score cheap points.
- You should be open to the possibility of changing your mind, if presented with sufficiently compelling reasons.
- The discussion should be viewed as a collaborative effort of inquiry, rather than an adversarial dispute, or a brute assertion of conflicting beliefs or values.
- Above all, you should exhibit good will and respect towards your fellow citizens and interlocutors — e.g. refrain from impugning their intellectual honesty without good reason.
Plenty of blogs assert this viewpoint or that, and then proceed with mudslinging and meanness in the commentary. On the one hand, these are peoples' individual blogs. They should be allowed to not only hold any viewpoint, but state it. They can set any tone of discussion they wish on their blogs. However, it's disappointing to me when a blog whose initial writing, topics, or viewpoint I hold interesting, descends into what I perceive as the same inflexibility of thought and commentative demagogery as those blogs (and groups) who hold opposing viewpoints. Granted, no one has cornered the market on either civil discourse or infantile behavior; but it seems that there are so few opportunities to speak with people who hold wildly differing or even opposing viewpoints and actually exchange information as opposed to insults and bons mot. This carnival could be very interesting. Here's hoping that it gets off to a strong start.
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