Psience Quest

Do we know if the interview is going to center on his HIV work? Or is it about larger psi subjects?

I would generally be against this sort of thing, just because I think for any lurkers it would potentially paint PQ in a pretty negative light. I see what Max is saying about why it ought to be allowed, though, and I also am amenable to Linda's approach, because it would be interesting to see how he responded to certain questions.

I would lean the direction that in my opinion it would be a bad idea, but I can understand why it might be allowed.

(2017-09-27, 10:36 PM)Max_B Wrote: [ -> ]Don't be so silly... this forum is not a bus careering down the road with a single bus driver... the analogy is ludicrous. There is no fight. There is no reason to even discuss it. The JSE is a publication dealing with consciousness, anomalous phenomena and none mainstream articles... he's a past editor, so he gets an interview published on here, if Vortex goes to the trouble of writing one up, irrespective of what you want. We're not gonna start having votes on such clear cut issues.

Oh I beg to differ my friend.

We ARE going to have the conversation. It is happening right now. As it should.

(2017-09-27, 10:47 PM)Max_B Wrote: [ -> ]It's got nowt to do with what I want... it's just common sense... if I want to post an interview from anybody on psiencequest that I think is relevant, I'm not going to seek anybody's permission before I post it, and neither is anybody else. That's just how it is.

Now you are just sounding like a blowhard.

Aside from the question of what interviews to allow to carry the PQ banner, I would also be hesitant to post interviews that make certain forum members very uncomfortable. I would not want a very active, psi-interested forum member like Chris, for example, feel he would have to quit the forum because somebody wants to put up a non-psi interview on an alt-science topic.

There is a reason why several past Skeptiko forum members wanted this new forum to be free of socially divisive topics, and I think their wishes should be respected (taken into account as one of the motives for founding this forum). A Bauer interview, even without the PQ banner, in my view, should only be allowed (if it is at all) in the CT sub-forum if it risks turning off psi-focused PQ members.

(2017-09-27, 11:10 PM)Max_B Wrote: [ -> ]I've already said that it doesn't matter what I think... Sci is not gonna run the articles he finds past you or anyone else before he posts them. And neither am I... If I want to post an article that I think is relevant, and concerns hiv/aids... I will... I'm not going to start asking permission because we've got a couple of homophobic members who get a bit anxious around the subject matter. I couldn't care less what the community decides on this matter... so stick that in your pipe.

Come on now,, it's not about checking to see if a post is OK before posting. You can post whatever you want, as long as it is placed in the appropriate section. And if not, I'm sure the admins will move it. And if it's blatantly inappropriate, the admins will remove it,,, I hope.

And it's not that you can't post an interview that you personally decide to do, given the same rules as above.

I don't know about others, but my recent comments about a interview are regarding what I might call an "official" psiencequest interview. That's different. That is something that involves and reflects the community as a whole, and I think it is right that the community or at least the admins (in the name of the community) have a say in whether we want to host it. 

Those interviews are ones that help define what the community is representing to the world as out core purpose. 

We should have a purpose, and not just be a place where anyone does whatever they want in the name of the community. I don't want to be associated with any random thing that you or anyone else decided to post here, particularly if it is viewed as an "official" psiencequest thing.

Do you ever consider yourself when in this forum as part of a community, and not just a rogue actor?

(2017-09-28, 12:55 AM)Max_B Wrote: [ -> ]What I'm hearing is homophobia by a handful of members... that's the unstated or hidden reason why this matter has been brought up as far as I can see. If Vortex's interview was about homeopathy etc... I doubt I'd have heard a peep.

Wow, that's an unsubstantiated accusation to make. I'm willing to bet that isn't at all why most people don't want that interview here.

If anything, Bauer's work (or his views) has/have been labeled HIV Denialism and itself homophobic. (See the Wiki page on Bauer). I'm not saying I think that's the case - I have no opinion on the matter. But I think it's a controversial alt-science topic that hasn't much place on this forum - especially (like any other similar topic) if it risks being sociopolitically divisive and offending heavily-contributing, strongly psi-interested forum members. If the topic was psi in nature to begin with, and sociopolitically divisive, then it would have to be tolerated.

Pcience Quest is not Skeptiko à la Science Is Wrong About Everything. It's mostly a psi forum, not an all-purpose alt-science forum. That doesn't mean there isn't any place for other alt-science topics here (especially more indirectly-psi-related, spiritual-philosophical topics like cosmology and evolution), but not at the expense of hurting psi membership.

And for the record, I don't think homeopathy is a valid topic for a Psience Quest interview either, for the reasons previously enumerated. It's medicine, not psi. Spiritual/psi healing of one type or another would make the grade.

(2017-09-28, 12:55 AM)Max_B Wrote: [ -> ]Lord, I'd never be that precious, this is a internet discussion forum covering a fringe topic, that tends to be very anti-science, with 100 members. I think the community should be grateful for any interviews that members spend their own time organising and writing up. What I'm hearing is homophobia by a handful of members... that's the unstated or hidden reason why this matter has been brought up as far as I can see. If Vortex's interview was about homeopathy etc... I doubt I'd have heard a peep.

I'm not convinced that the interview is appropriate and I'm not homophobic. What evidence do you have that the opposition is homophobic in nature. Seems an odd piece of bait to throw out.

Although I think  if the interview was specifically about his leadership of the JSE and not about HIV, then I think the interview may be more appropriate.