March 28, 2024

Be Back Soon

Lined Notebook Header

One of the problems with me and the blogging/forum media is that I like to do a lot of thinking on the fly.  It may not come out as much in the posts as it does the comments, but I really enjoy the back and forth, the discussion, and the questions.  I also am highly opinionated, as you all know, but I’d like to feel that I’m still opened to learn.

All that being said, I believe that I jumped too far upstream in my latest few posts on this site, and with some of the comments I jumped too quickly in responding.

Part of the problem with online communication is that we neither see or hear the person we’re talking with.  We read in things that aren’t there.  We generalize background based on preconceived notions about who people are.  And this happens whether you’re random IM’ing people or spewing your ideas on blogs and forums.

So, with the latest topic, I didn’t think that my responses did the topic justice.  In the case of Morals without Christianity, I jumped to conclusions about what what was being said, inferring some things that he wasn’t saying based on things that I had been reading elsewhere.

In Christian Atheism I didn’t lay a good foundation so I had people believing that I’m saying slanderous things about the character of individuals where I was making philosophical statements.

This necessitates that I take a step back and make a concerted effort to clarify my position– if there’s still people that are interested in hearing it.

In order to help, I will start next week a multi-part series on the topic after I’ve done some more thinking, but with a twist.  I will be publishing it with the comments closed until the whole series (less than 5 parts I’m envisioning right now) is published.  At that time I’ll unlock them all so that discussion can happen on any one topic.

The reason that I’m doing this is that I want to present a consistent, thought out set of posts without the distraction of trying to defend the individual pieces distracting from finishing the whole.

For those of you not interested in this topic, I have a few other posts in mind, and those will also come out and those comments will all be open.

Thanks for your patience.

(Visited 16 times, 1 visits today)

4 thoughts on “Be Back Soon

  1. Oh, I understand, MIn. I fall into the same thing at times. I work so hard to defend my position on one topic…in the comment section…then later come back to it and say, “Do I really feel or believe this way?” Sometimes, yes, sometimes no. Sometimes, I am able to clarify better what I believe after working it thru in the comment section. That’s kind of troublesome, though, in that people think you are saying that you concretely believe one way, when in fact, you might just be working through it.

    The other problem that I struggle with IS: How to speak philosophically or ideologically…without being offensive personally? I never am trying to attack a person – but it might come across as that. It’s hard…but in the end…I believe that it causes us to sharpen our skills and become better communicators. (That’s if we remain willing to learn and be teachable – which you are!)

    Blessings to you -looking forward to reading your future thoughts.

    Holly

    Holly’s last blog post..Mary’s Story – Part 4

  2. I think the root of the problem (if you can call it that) is that people carry with them a number of unexamined assumptions and beliefs which only arise when discussion heats up. It’s hard to know what these assumptions and beliefs are until they’re reflected back to us in the mirror by an opponent. This is one reason I enjoy online discussion, because I like my beliefs to have a solid foundation. After years of doing this, it becomes much easier to spot fallacies in arguments–either in your opponent’s or your own.

  3. Just popping in to say that the net sure seems quiet without your presence, MIn!

    And Holly, I think you do an awesome job of exploring topics with your readers. You are so humble and gracious, yet spot on with your observations.

    Like you, Robert, I love the format of online discussion. I’m much more likely to participate in a written discussion of these more intricate topics than a verbal one. Mostly because I can re-read what I just wrote and examine it for clarity before publishing it…while sadly in real life, I can’t express my thoughts nearly as well (or take them back!). I really appreciate your level-headed arguments too, btw. So often when people disagree, it’s in an inflammatory, accusing attack. It’s easy to dismiss those comments, while comments such as yours beg for rational exploration.

    Hurry back, MIn!

    Mary’s last blog post..A Book Recommendation, and Some Thoughts on Evolution

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge