Banned from skeptiko.

This is where we left off at Skeptiko and one of the reasons I was glad to be gone from there so why would I save offensive posts/rants? 

There's little in your response that I either believe or am surprised by. True to form. Have the last word if you like while I try to decide whether to stick around here.

This is where we left off at Skeptiko and one of the reasons I was glad to be gone from there so why would I save offensive posts/rants? 

There's little in your response that I either believe or am surprised by. True to form. Have the last word if you like while I try to decide whether to stick around here.

Hey ho. Look: I'm quite sure I said something that offended you, but I can't remember what it was except it would have had little to do with what you allege. I offer my apologies for whatever it actually was, propose we let bygones be bygones, and suggest we move on. I'll post my piece on viruses and you can judge whether or not it's a conspiratorial rant motivated by politics and a desire to (mis/dis)inform.

According to our guidelines How to navigate creating threads about science and scientific controversies on PQ, it would belong either in the Other Topics forum or in the opt-in Non-Psi-Related Scientific Controversies forum (see How to join the hidden politics, conspiracy theory & controversial science subforums). My sense is that it best belongs in the latter, but I'd be open (contingent on the views of others, especially other admins) to you starting it in Other Topics and only moving it if it veers into contentious sociopolitical territory.

Thanks. Looking at the post about joining hidden forums, I read this:

Here on Psience Quest, the community voted to allow political and conspiracy theory discussions only in subforums which are hidden by default but which can be made visible by joining a particular user group. Later, we added a third hidden subforum - see the update at the bottom of this post.

To do this:

1. (Whilst logged in) Click on "User CP" near the top of the page.
   
   
2. Click on "Group Memberships" in the left sidebar under the heading "Miscellaneous".
   
   
3. Click on "Join Group" beside the user group labelled "Political/CT Forum Members".
   
   

Now you should see the "Conspiracy Theory Discussions" and "Political Discussions" forums as subforums of "Other Topics". Posts from those forums should now also appear in your "View Unread Posts" listing.

To leave the user group, simply repeat steps one and two above, and at step three click "Leave Group".

Thing is, I'm logged on but can't see anything labelled "User CP" and so am stumped.

I've read Sciborg's post on Ibn Arabi and the article he links to and found it interesting, having had a long interest in Sufism.

Have you come across Henry Corbin's writings? If not, you might find them worth a read, not least those concerning Ibn Arabi.

https://archive.org/details/byhenrycorbi...e%20Alone/

Thanks. Looking at the post about joining hidden forums, I read this:


Thing is, I'm logged on but can't see anything labelled "User CP" and so am stumped.

https://psiencequest.net/forums/usercp.php

[Laird]

Thanks. Looking at the post about joining hidden forums, I read this:


Thing is, I'm logged on but can't see anything labelled "User CP" and so am stumped.

Ah, the instructions needed updating for our new default skin. Changed to:

1. (Whilst logged in) Click on your avatar icon top-right of page and then click "Settings" in the dropdown menu (if using the default Roundo theme), or click "User CP" near the top of the page (if using the MyBB Default theme).
   

Alternatively, Max's link is correct and should also work.

Ah, the instructions needed updating for our new default skin. Changed to:

1. (Whilst logged in) Click on your avatar icon top-right of page and then click "Settings" in the dropdown menu (if using the default Roundo theme), or click "User CP" near the top of the page (if using the MyBB Default theme).
   

Alternatively, Max's link is correct and should also work.

[*](Whilst logged in) Click on "User CP" near the top of the page.


[*]Click on "Group Memberships" in the left sidebar under the heading "Miscellaneous".


[*]Click on "Join Group" beside the user group labelled "Political/CT Forum Members".

[*]
Got as far as the group membership page. All I see at the bottom is:

"Groups You're a Member Of" followed by "Political/CT Forum Members -- "Members of this group can see and post to the otherwise-invisible politics, conspiracy theory and controversial non-psi science forums"

Then it says "Leave group" -- presumably were I to click that, I'd leave the group of which, apparently, I'm already a member.

[*]So I went back to PQ's opening page and under "Other Topics" I see hyperlinked:

"Conspiracy Theory Discussions, Political Discussions, Non-Psi-Related Scientific Controversies, Solutions to Sociopolitical Problems"

When I click on non-psi related scientfic controversies, I get taken to that forum, but there seems no way I can raise a new thread there.

So -- still stumped.

[Laird]

When I click on non-psi related scientfic controversies, I get taken to that forum, but there seems no way I can raise a new thread there.

You don't see the Post Thread button (see red arrow in the attached+embedded image; click for full-size version)?

   

Have you come across Henry Corbin's writings? If not, you might find them worth a read, not least those concerning Ibn Arabi.

https://archive.org/details/byhenrycorbi...e%20Alone/

A favorite writer for me.

https://henrycorbinproject.blogspot.com/...arabi.html

I'm sorry to be the sole negative voice but I feel the need to relate the circumstances of my own reasons for abandoning Skeptiko and becoming one of the founders (albeit non-administrative) of this forum. 

Obviously the most compelling reason was the direction that Skeptiko was heading and the fact that Alex was driving that push towards conspiracy-related issues rather than the Psi focused discussions which were the attraction for me in the first place. Almost as importantly, the words and actions of some of the membership there were so objectionable to me that I became convinced that I did not want to be associated with those characters nor the views they were promoting. 

I am sad to see that some of those people are now here and that means that I will have to review my own status as a contributor once again. Perhaps I am not as tolerant as tim so those bygones are still painful memories for me. But the internet is so crammed with talking shops eager to promote misinformation, disinformation, hatred and division that I refuse to be part of anything that seems headed that way or likely to become dominated by such.

I am aware that political differences are not to be aired here, more aware because I was one of those who insisted on those restrictions - I even objected to the introduction of those opt-in forums. But the Skeptiko experience left me in no doubt about the political motivations of those I wanted to distance myself from so I have some difficult decisions to make.

I would be extremely sorry to see you go from this forum. Only the other day, you made a very important contribution to the QUbism discussion.

I think the problem is that if you have a forum - like Skeptiko became - where politics and some other emotionally important discussion are mixed together, it doesn't work well. I have (I think) scrupulously avoided discussion of my political views on the public forums here. Others seem to do the same - and that should hopefully make space for everyone to discuss PSI-related stuff without trouble breaking out.

I haven't even used the contentious parts of this forum, although if Michael puts his virus evidence there, I will certainly visit that.

The potential problem always is that life isn't totally sealed off into isolated subjects - at some level everything is connected to everything else.

Edit: I now realise that this discussion is itself in the contentious part of the forum!

David