Hi all,
This is my first post on my own blog. As such, I should say a few words about my aims. Although I enjoy scrolling through a number of blogs regarding theism in general, and christian theism in particular, I'm often discouraged at the tone of the discussion. It's all too easy for interlocutors to be so caught up in "dueling" their "opponents" that they lose sight of the goal, viz., the pursuit of truth and understanding and the avoidance of falsehoods and incomprehension. I have no illusions about changing all of this, but at least I can try to make a difference, however trifling. Let me just say what should be obvious: any one of us, including myself, may be completely wrong about our views on some matter. Therefore, it's important to cultivate truth-conducive intellectual virtues that will increase the likelihood that we'll come to have more true beliefs than false ones. Thus, one of my main goals for this blog will be to exercise, as best as I can, the virtues of honesty, civility, humility, and clarity. I take these to involve the following: giving the best and most powerful construal of the points of one's interlocutor; giving one's interlocutor the benefit of the doubt; pursuing truth instead of "victory"; aiming to understand and internalize one's interlocutor's views before a critique ever occurs to one. In doing so, I ask those who may choose to join the discussion here to do the same. In the unlikely event that someone chooses to join the discussion, yet expresses their points in a way that plainly goes against these aims, I'm afraid that their comments will be removed.
Regards,
exapologist
4 comments:
Hey guys,
I think I'll take your advice and turn off the "moderate comments" function.
Excellent and laudable goal. I could write a long article (if not quite a book) about the personal insults and unnecessary nonsense I've already been subjected to at another blog devoted to analyzing the woeful, pathetic deficiencies of Christianity and the supposed manifest lack of character of her defenders (and I haven't been there very long: about a month, I think).
One example of many: one person (an atheist) who frequents there came to my blog and stated that I was "very likely mad." What a way to start a constructive conversation, huh? LOL But then, amazingly enough, he went on to say that he really wants to debate me and I could have free reign to say my piece on his blog.
This person, in the same group of replies, had also decided that I was "not capable of any argument whatsoever", I replied:
"Of course I am not! What person who is 'very likely mad' would be???!!!
"I'd have to be 'very likely mad' to be stupid enough to attempt 'debate' with a person who thinks I am 'very likely mad'.
"And so, wishing to think that I am indeed not (at least to keep up the illusion as long as I can), there really is no choice here."
:-) I thought that was a pretty funny exchange, if I do say so. But it proves the point, does it not? I also wrote:
"It's funny how similar many 'dialogues' with atheists [note: not all; I've had lots of very good, enjoyable ones myself] are to dialogues with anti-Catholics [I'm a Catholic]. One thinks you are nuts, and the other thinks you are an unregenerate damned soul. Which is the worse insult? In any event, dialogue is clearly impossible with such hostile baggage attached to it."
Though I've been absurdly accused of doing something similar to this sort of tripe, I have not at all. I've critiqued ideas. Some folks can't handle that. It makes 'em insecure and really, really mad. Then they're not for me to debate with, because I don't get really really mad or insecure when my opinions are critiqued. I get really really happy that someone has the wherewithal to make a critique that is worthwhile considering, and I always love a challenge. I also wrote a post:
Are all Atheists Utterly "Wicked and Evil"? The Multiple Complex Causes of Atheist Disbelief, Romans 1 and 2, and the Possibility of Atheists' Salvation
http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2006/06/are-all-atheists-utterly-wicked-and.html
It's tough to maintain civility. I hope you succeed. Then this will be one of those very rare places on the Internet where this wonderful state of affairs can actually be achieved. I wish you the best, but be prepared to do some serious moderating for this to occur (I speak as one with almost eleven years' experience on all sorts of Internet lists and boards, and the dynamics are almost always the same, regardless of worldview; I'm just as disgusted with Christian boards, and almost totally ignore them). You'll have to almost certainly ban people: sometimes fellow atheists.
Dave Armstrong
(Catholic and Christian apologist)
Hi Dave,
It's nice to meet you! I'm not sure if you're assuming this -- so please let me know if you're not -- but just in case, I want to emphasize that this blog doesn't function as a debate site. The goal is just to take a careful look at arguments related to Christian theism themselves. In other words, we'll be solely focused on expositing arguments fairly, examining each part, and the inferential relations between them, and asking ourselves things such as: is this premise true, or more plausible than not? If so, why, exactly? Does this proposition follow from that one -- whether deductively, inductively, or abductively?
Also, I can't really speak on matters I don't know about, but I'm sorry if you've been attacked by others. But I hope that we can refrain from this on this blog, and can refrain from airing, ahem, our dirty laundry here.
All the best, and I look forward to evaluating arguments with you, if you are so inclined.
Best,
exapologist
I want to emphasize that this blog doesn't function as a debate site.
. . . I look forward to evaluating arguments with you, if you are so inclined.
I need to know how you are distinguishing "evaluating arguments" from "debate"? I don't particularly care for formal debate as such. I specialize in informal, conversational, Socratic dialogue. If that is agreeable to you, then we should have a lot of fun. I'd be more than happy to provide a Christian take on the subjects brought up here where I feel I am equipped to comment (and time-permitting, as I do write about a lot of stuff).
I tend to shy away from overly-technical philosophical stuff (where one literally has to be a philosophy grad student, etc.), so some material will be beyond my technical ability to discuss adequately.
Just let me know if I violate the spirit and approach of what you would like to accomplish. Sometimes, any of us are just going along and we find that it is offensive in some way to others, when it was not our intention. And these issues can be very subjective as well.
I don't intend to discuss "dirty laundry" at all. I merely mentioned my recent experiences because it was directly germane to the subject matter of the post.
Thanks for the friendly welcome.
Dave Armstrong
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