Meta-thread for discussion about forum content

[Philalethes]

I'm not sure to what degree this belongs here, but I didn't want to clutter up the thread in question with further off-topic discussion about what I think does and doesn't belong in threads like it. There's been so much of that lately that I think this could be a useful topic where people can take discussion that's derailing conversation and express what they think about it. It certainly doesn't belong in the thread in question, and if it's not addressed at all it just seems like a problem that will keep growing. You could argue that I might just ignore it, but having to wade through discussions about and defenses of religious beliefs in every thread I open is not a great experience.

If this shouldn't be here then mods/admins are of course free to remove it (not that I really need to say that, but what I'm expressing is that I'm perfectly fine if that's the decision), but I hope it will be possible to find some solution.

16 minutes ago, ChefyStephie said:

If I’m not mistaken, Tesla had an emotional attachment to the number 9 (Nine), and was keen on things divisible by three.

You are in fact quite mistaken; that's based on a fake quote that's been circulating around the web for a long time, which has zero reference to anything Tesla ever said or wrote. It's usually used by numerologists and other religious people to give some kind of credence to that type of pseudoscience or religious belief (even though arguments to authority are themselves fallacious, rendering the whole ordeal doubly fallacious). I would certainly recommend some source criticism when it comes to quotes of dubious origin in general.

It's quite sad, considering how many great things Tesla actually did write that such people could be quoting instead.

16 minutes ago, ChefyStephie said:

Being human can be terribly illogical at times, and if something brings someone some sense of peace, or a sense of control, I say let them have it. It causes me no discomfort. 

People harboring such beliefs doesn't bother me either, as long as they keep it to themselves or arenas dedicated to them; constantly posting them on boards meant for something entirely different, on the other hand, gets annoying quite fast, as mods and admins have expressed repeatedly. Drax made a light-hearted joke making fun of such irrational beliefs in passing, which is all in good fun. I then explained the joke to someone who asked about what they meant, and that should really have been that.

Just as I don't go into fundamentalist churches to preach about evolution through natural selection or about radiocarbon dating, I think it's fair to expect religious beliefs to be kept out of fora dedicated to scientific inquiry and discussion.

As Sam has mentioned before there are plenty of fora dedicated to the intersection between religion and science, where the types of discussions will be quite different, and I don't see any reason why people wouldn't take that sort of thing there instead, where it actually belongs.

[Archmonoth]

I have been on other forums, and the new-age, metaphysical creep (gradual increase) is very real. 

 

Thanks for pointing this out, and I agree with your sentiment and observation. 

[Sam Warfel]

As PB has pointed out, topics like that are only barely connected to the subject of these forums, or often not at all.
Therefore, they do not fall under the purview of the "Unproven Theories" forum, which is unproven theories relating to space weather and geomagnetism.  Those discussions should be taken to a different platform, I have a feeling there are many out there that will welcome you with open arms.  The intersection between religion and science does not fall under the topic of this website.  Sometimes people may feel like that thread is for anything at all that doesn't fit the other categories, when it is not, it has the topic in italics in the above sentence, in keeping with the mission of this platform.
Thank you for helping us to make these forums a productive place to discuss and learn about the science and wonder behind space weather and the incredible aurora.

I'm not necessarily saying that this thread is out of place, but I would like to point out that private messages to staff are a good way to express concerns about forum content or related issues, and can be more productive than public airings with the potential to start unnecessary arguments.

Also, remember that if you dislike some of the content in the Unproven Theories forum, you can always just not read it.  Cheers!

(I am locking this thread to prevent any back-and-forth debates on the merits of, for example, religi-scientific discussions.)

Edited June 15, 2023 by Sam Warfel