LJWorld.com

Posted by Kansas778 October 17, 2008 at 7:03 p.m.

Online Political discourse

Benefits:1. Meritocracy of ideas--here it's just a screen name and your posts. Whether you're a doctor, professor, lawyer, janitor or unemployed, your ideas are equal here in that they are judged solely upon their own quality, and not on who you are. In face-to-face discussions, we make judgments about the person, and so our respect for their ideas might vary depending on their identity. In online discussions, race, age, sex, employment, appearance, handicap, sexual orientation, marital status, education etc. don't factor in to how your ideas and arguments are received. The online forum is a true marketplace of ideas, where no one will buy what you say unless there's something of value in it.2. Breadth of coverage--you may not get the opportunity to discuss certain issues with the people you know. Often times no one you know cares or knows much about certain topics that you are dying to discuss. Here you can comment on whatever news of the day that interests you, or write a blog about a topic you think important. Chances are, someone else wishes to communicate their point of view as well.3. Many opposing viewpoints--With all the different points of view expressed, you are really challenged to examine your own beliefs, often in ways you never thought of before. Not only that, but you get the opportunity to hear people with similar points of view make arguments of which you might not have thought. For a true marketplace of ideas to exist, there has to be many options to hear from, and with a limited number of people to discuss with face-to-face, we often miss ideas or arguments that we never heard of or would know about otherwise.4. Freedom from judgment--anonymity and impersonality make it so that one can express their views on controversial topics without fear that their boss, friends, co-workers, family etc. will think poorly of them. Your evangelical sister and her husband, the pastor, probably don't want to hear about your passionate atheist views around the dinnertable at thanksgiving. Responsibilities:1. Honesty--In all forms, whether it is regarding a source that you are citing, or conclusions that you are making. Don't go around comparing everyone else to Hitler and the nazis. That's intellectually dishonest and just plain lazy. If you can't say why their ideas are bad on your own, then maybe they aren't bad. 2. No personal attacks--one of the best parts of online discussions is the meritocracy of ideas that is free from arguments from authority or positions of personal interest. We all, however, often try to diminish others' views by making assumptions about their interest in the matter based on their personal attributes. Calling someone a racist or a communist doesn't refute what they say, it is a dismissal of the person behind the statement. 3. Listening--perhaps the most common problem is arguing past each other, and not addressing the other side's point of view. It only serves, in their mind, to validate their argument--the one that you didn't address. This is because it appears you cannot address it or don't want to because your argument is weak. A good argument will examine both points of view and then state which side is stronger and why. 4. Double-check your posts for correct English--it should go without saying that if we can't understand your English, we won't understand your ideas. Small slips in grammar or spelling can happen, but when they change the meaning of the sentence, you have failed to communicate. 5. No grammar or spelling police--most posts are done hastily without the benefit of a word processor. Calling someone an idiot because they misspelled a word is just another way of making a personal attack and not addressing the merits of a statement.