Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in Freedomain Radio. Please first read through the forum rules and guidelines below. By creating an account, you agree to these rules.

Freedomain Radio is a rational and empirical philosophy show. Reasoning from first principles, in accordance with empirical evidence, is the central methodology of our approach to truth. If you do not have any experience or training in logic or science, then it is very important to browse for a while before plunging into a debate. Think of Freedomain Radio as a class for advanced students of physics — if you do not understand the scientific method and some contemporary theories before joining a debate, you will almost certainly derail it, and it will not be much fun for you or others.

Politeness
The board does not have to be as elegant and repressed as a Victorian tea party, but certain civilized rules must be respected:

• No swearing.
• No ALL CAPS!
• Please try to focus criticism on the theory, and not the individual.
• Please do your research before responding to factual posts. If you are refuting particular facts, please supply links to reputable sources.
• Please do not respond to a post when you are angry — take 10 minutes, figure out what is really bothering you, and then respond if you must.
• Remember, if you insult someone's intelligence or integrity, but continue to debate with him, you are escalating for no reason whatsoever. If you truly believe that someone is dumb, or dishonest, it makes no sense to debate him.
• Passive aggressive posts are strongly discouraged. If you don't know what passive aggression is, please research the term before posting.
• When responding to a post, please remember that simply stating that the poster is wrong is a complete waste of time. To correct someone, you must point out an error in his reasoning or facts, and supply evidence.
• Please respect your feelings. If you find that a thread is becoming unpleasant, please disengage. If you feel your temper rising with someone, please stop responding to him. Anger and escalation will never lead us to the truth. The truth can only result from a positive and challenging mutual exploration of facts and principles. Escalation is the responsibility of both parties.
• Please avoid accusing someone of bad intentions without any evidence. “Oh, so whenever you are wrong, you just run away!” “Oh, you're just changing the topic because you can't handle the truth!” Even if it turns out to be true, this kind of hostility will never bring enlightenment.
• Please avoid “Internet courage.” Before posting, try to imagine speaking the words you are typing directly to the person, as if he were standing right in front of you. Also imagine that he is very large.

Banning
If you violate the above rules, you will be banned. You may or may not receive a warning beforehand. If you cannot log on to the board, or you cannot access the website, this means that you have been banned. Feel free to send an e-mail to the admin if you are confused.

Off Limits
While an abusive individual may be able to make restitution for his or her behavior, defending abuse is not long tolerated.

If you advance arguments which promote abuse (this includes, but is not limited to, emotional, verbal, physical, the spanking of children, or sexual abuse), you will be asked to stop posting. If you do not stop posting, you will be banned.

And Finally
Welcome! Please feel free to make an introductory post, telling us a little bit about yourself and your interests, and why you have joined the community.

Thank you so much!