Improving your Sci-Tech Forum

[Deckerd]

Tachyon Shield wrote:

---

I've noticed a lot of people treat Science as a religion and treat this forum as their own personal church, they come in here and if anyone comes out with an idea or opinion that these people believe Science does not agree with they start foaming at the mouth and become aggressive.

Someone who considers Science to be "the first thing that pops into my imagination this morning", is fine but hardly a well-researched theory, is it? If you want people to address your what-ifs, you have to accept the fact that you do not have the answer just because you thought up the question.

[All Seeing Eye]

It's this type of bigotry which is the reason I refuse to post any more threads in this forum.

Jadzia wrote:

---

I'm tempted to say that opinions are alright as long as they are clearly presented as opinions. People with opinions should make an effort to not derail discussions, and in return, they shouldn't be hounded for proof. Assertions on the other hand should only be made if you can provide evidence for them.

What's the real difference between an opinion and an assertion?? if a person believes something to be true then clearly it's also an assertion otherwise they would not believe it to be the case and would not believe it in the first place.

What you are saying is that everyone needs to write the words 'In my opinion' in front of every single post they make.

[Squiggy]

But...you're posting in this forum.

[All Seeing Eye]

Squiggy wrote:

---

But...you're posting in this forum.

What do you mean? I said I wasn't posting anymore threads, I didn't say I wasn't posting IN threads.

Here i'l re-quote my last post for you:

Tachyon Shield wrote:

---

I refuse to post any more threads in this forum.

Glad I could clear that up for you so there's no confusion.


EDIT: Oh and in my last post where I said about the bigotry that was about Deckerds post, not about the quote from Jadzia.

--------------------------------------------------------

Jadzia wrote:

---

Science isn't based on status, so this first remark isn't relevant. Eminent scientists have the distinction that their work hasn't been done before, and that it adds something significant in the grand scheme of things. But anyone can do science.

That's my point exactly, you've took what I said back to front. I am saying too many people think they are the ultimate scientist and that someone such as me has no right to even suggest something different or new.
If it does not conform to their own scientific understanding or limits then they assume the high ground.

[judge alba]

i dont want to derail this thread but though i dont always post in your threads TS they are quite thought provoking sometimes enough to think 'hey thats a good idea'

[All Seeing Eye]

What annoyed me last week in the 'Big Bang' thread was the amount of people demanding answers, when I asked them "answers to what?" they said they wanted me to post a reply to their posts.

That's all well and good wanting me to post replies but just what gave them the right to demand an immediate reply? what gave them the right to speak to me in that manner and fashion?

It was a thread to discuss the Big Bang, it wasn't a thread where you post an answer then demand me to reply and then when I didn't reply immediately, start to pull me down for it.

Was I in some kind wrong for asking questions on the Big Bang? I can't even get to grips with just why the thread went downhill. Can nobody have a mature and polite discussion on the Big Bang? it went from a couple of people posting interesting stuff on the big bang to an array of people demanding I post immediate replies to them. When I said I would reply in my own time even more hell broke loose.

It's these types of attitudes that this forum does not need.

Galactic Squirral wrote:

---

i dont want to derail this thread but though i dont always post in your threads TS they are quite thought provoking sometimes enough to think 'hey thats a good idea'

Hey thanks.

[Deckerd]

What did I say that was bigoted?

[All Seeing Eye]

Deckerd wrote:

---

What did I say that was bigoted?

Saying that something that I might think up is immediately wrong.

[Deckerd]

I didn't say that.

[All Seeing Eye]

Sounded that way to me.

[sojourner]

Tachyon Shield wrote:

---

It's this type of bigotry which is the reason I refuse to post any more threads in this forum.

What's the real difference between an opinion and an assertion?? if a person believes something to be true then clearly it's also an assertion otherwise they would not believe it to be the case and would not believe it in the first place.

What you are saying is that everyone needs to write the words 'In my opinion' in front of every single post they make.

No, just the opposite. If someone posts something and claims it as fact, the op should be ready to cite sources. On the other hand, if you claim something as an opinion, you are stating something you believe in but have no sources to back it up.

In the case of an opinion, if you want to sway others to your point of view, be prepared to explain how you came to this point of view.


Stubbornly claiming "this is right! I am right" while refusing to cite resources or explain your thought process is no way to hold a conversation.

In the case of your recent threads such as the "pyramid to space", I thought they were interesting thought exercises and had no problem with them. I did have a problem with some of the overly obvious trolls that entered the thread just to harass you.

p.s. just read through the "Big Bang" thread. yea, Tachy, you need to just ignore the people that aren't contributing to the conversation or get tied down arguing about how certain questions were asked. Just write off some questions as unanswerable and move on. There was alot of interesting information given in the thread.

[Deckerd]

Tachyon Shield wrote:

---

Sounded that way to me.

Then perhaps we've nailed one problem right there. I didn't say what you thought I'd said so how much of other people's posts do you actually read?

[All Seeing Eye]

Deckerd wrote:

---

Then perhaps we've nailed one problem right there. I didn't say what you thought I'd said so how much of other people's posts do you actually read?

Yeh and vice versa.

[Australis]

If I'm going to start a thread here, on, say, moving the Hubble into deep space solar orbit to take better pictures, I'll put in why I think it's a good idea (eg less interference from the upper fringes of the atmosphere as well as space junk) and post links if I can find them. Then see how the discussion evolves.

But if I say that it's a fact that Taiwan is building a robot army to fight the Chinese which will then move across SE Asia, or instead of the Chunnel build a bridge across the English Channel, then I had better have some damn solid facts to back them up, and be prepared to state them, not say "look them up yerself". Those two "OP ideas" I just pulled out of my head. Interesting? Maybe, up to a point. Feasible? Very doubtful.

Now if the discussion began and posters derided them, I could say, sure, and have a laugh, then open them up to wider discussions on incoming booster technology, optics in zero gravity, how to build stable bridges across water of any depth, the state of developing robot technology, Sino-Asian politics and control systems for remote military vehicles (some of which we did have in one thread, and it was interesting).

But I'd look bloody stupid if I said "Nuh, it'll work, you tell me how it'll work, I don't have to explain how I think it would work, wow, you must be dense not to understand what I'm trying to say". That way is guaranteed to put people's backs up. If you have an idea, you have to be able to support it or be able to amend how it would work, in an interactive discussion of concepts and ideas. And if people don't understand what you mean, reiterate it in a different way, use examples, simplify the approach, whatever it takes to establish communication. Two sides shouting and getting nowhere is entertaining, but only for a little why. Effort has to be made to be clear.

It's not that hard.

[Deckerd]

I'm sorry. It's worse than Grampa now. Nobody can take you seriously.