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> I don't know of any other forums to discuss this stuff, other than philosophy seminars that I'm not invited to You may like https://www.reddit.com/r/debatean

by rdancer 11y ago

> I don't know of any other forums to discuss this stuff, other than philosophy seminars that I'm not invited to You may like https://www.reddit.com/r/debateanatheist https://www.reddit.com/r/debateanatheist or http://www.reddit.com/r/debatereligion http://www.reddit.com/r/debatereligion.

mbrock 11y ago
Thanks! I'm not really interested in debating pros and cons of religion vs atheist though. It's not easy to find a serious discussion that can acknowledge the truths of both sides... maybe I need more friends who are sociologists or anthropologists.
- fluxquanta 11y ago
  >It's not easy to find a serious discussion that can acknowledge the truths of both sides That's because we're not conditioned to debate for the sake of debate anymore. We debate for as long as it takes for the other side to get mad enough to stop talking to us or use personal insults or violence. Probably one of the most enjoyable experiences in the past 10 years of my life was staying up in a Waffle House until 4 or 5 in the morning debating whether or not an afterlife, any afterlife, exists, with a friend of mine from college that I hadn't seen in years. Neither of us "won" the debate or changed our minds, but we sat there (with our cell phones off) just coming up with ideas to try to sway the other person.
  - mercer 11y ago
    I used to attend a meetup that was specifically about discussing 'big' things. This would include philosophical questions, but also things like 'discipline', 'motivation', or 'work / life balance'. We had only two real rules. One: listen to each other and exchange viewpoints respectfully, so no (or only minimal) discussion centered around arguing or convincing the other of your viewpoint especially when the topics are sensitive (religion, for example). And two: keep things somewhat personal, and avoid purely abstract philosophical talk. In regards to the second (often contested) rule: the personal exchange makes the conversation relevant, promotes friendship and group bonding. On top of that it makes the meetup accessible to shy people or people who are not too into abstract debates (and who, interestingly, often occupied the crucial roles of creating group cohesion and continuity!). It also avoids getting into arguments because a supposed abstract viewpoint turns out to be more personal than the parties involved thought. Those kinds of arguments happened surprisingly often when we broke the rule. Furthermore, the abstract / philosophical debates would inevitably happen after the meetup with the people who enjoyed that kind of thing, and the personal conversation greatly enriched even the abstract stuff that would come later. I can highly recommend anyone who likes 'deep conversations' to join such a meetup or even organize one. Everyone involved in my meetup expressed how much they enjoyed, even needed this meetup in a sea of superficial social meetups and bar talk (which is also nice, just not enough for many of us). If you happen to live in The Netherlands, hit me up!
- deleted 11y ago
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by rdancer 11y ago

mbrock 11y ago

Thanks! I'm not really interested in debating pros and cons of religion vs atheist though. It's not easy to find a serious discussion that can acknowledge the truths of both sides... maybe I need more friends who are sociologists or anthropologists.

fluxquanta 11y ago
>It's not easy to find a serious discussion that can acknowledge the truths of both sides That's because we're not conditioned to debate for the sake of debate anymore. We debate for as long as it takes for the other side to get mad enough to stop talking to us or use personal insults or violence. Probably one of the most enjoyable experiences in the past 10 years of my life was staying up in a Waffle House until 4 or 5 in the morning debating whether or not an afterlife, any afterlife, exists, with a friend of mine from college that I hadn't seen in years. Neither of us "won" the debate or changed our minds, but we sat there (with our cell phones off) just coming up with ideas to try to sway the other person.
- mercer 11y ago
  I used to attend a meetup that was specifically about discussing 'big' things. This would include philosophical questions, but also things like 'discipline', 'motivation', or 'work / life balance'. We had only two real rules. One: listen to each other and exchange viewpoints respectfully, so no (or only minimal) discussion centered around arguing or convincing the other of your viewpoint especially when the topics are sensitive (religion, for example). And two: keep things somewhat personal, and avoid purely abstract philosophical talk. In regards to the second (often contested) rule: the personal exchange makes the conversation relevant, promotes friendship and group bonding. On top of that it makes the meetup accessible to shy people or people who are not too into abstract debates (and who, interestingly, often occupied the crucial roles of creating group cohesion and continuity!). It also avoids getting into arguments because a supposed abstract viewpoint turns out to be more personal than the parties involved thought. Those kinds of arguments happened surprisingly often when we broke the rule. Furthermore, the abstract / philosophical debates would inevitably happen after the meetup with the people who enjoyed that kind of thing, and the personal conversation greatly enriched even the abstract stuff that would come later. I can highly recommend anyone who likes 'deep conversations' to join such a meetup or even organize one. Everyone involved in my meetup expressed how much they enjoyed, even needed this meetup in a sea of superficial social meetups and bar talk (which is also nice, just not enough for many of us). If you happen to live in The Netherlands, hit me up!
deleted 11y ago
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