Hey look! I remembered to get this up before noon!
There’s a lot of ethics out there…be careful!
open forums
Friday Open Forum
Yesterday I got an email from someone who asked what I charge for “Guest Posts.” (This always means that the aspiring guest poster wants to write about nothing even vaguely related to ethics.) I told him there was no charge: just come on an Open Forum and write something that I deem worthy of guest post status.
Of course, as a virgin commenter, he’ll have to get through moderation first.
Heh, heh, heh…
On Having Rational Arguments With People Who Don’t Want To Be Rational
Guest post by Null Pointer
I’m especially grateful for re-postable comment right now, as I still am in searing pain from an oral surgery procedure too disgusting to describe, and drugged to the gills. But ethics moves on, mindful of no man. This one is nicely appropriate, since I am still losing respect for Facebook friends at a breakneck pace, as they have attacked me for suggesting that reasonable doubt existed in the Chauvin trial and that the trial was unfair by any rational standard. It’s like a clinical example of how mobs make themselves stupid and crazy. For example, a lawyer—a lawyer!—wrote this: “Doesn’t “fair” mean fair to both parties?” No! Nothing in the Constitution requires a “fair trial” for the State. Incredible. A progressive lawyer actually thinks it does..or what is ore likely the case, was grasping at straws and got a really stupid one.
I will dedicate this Guest Post (since it arrived in an open forum) by Null Pointer to the sadly MIA (since January) commenter Extradimensional Cephalopod. This is one of his favorite subjects.
It is difficult to engage with someone who is making emotional arguments, but not impossible. You first have to understand person you are engaging with, how they think and why they think the way they do. Throwing facts at brainwashed people isn’t going to do anything, because most people have been taught to ignore facts that don’t align with their viewpoints. Younger people have been increasingly taught in school that feelings out weigh facts. Often the way to reach them is to start with feelings, and move slowly outward from the feelings to the facts. Acknowledge the correctness of their feelings, then explore the way they feel about all the feeder issues around whatever issue you are discussing. Usually you will find that even though they are very dogmatic about some major political issue, they have doubts about some of the related issues. It’s a process, and it takes time. Trying to simply change someone’s mind to your position isn’t going to work, but getting them to think more deeply about their own position will.
Friday Open Forum, Safe Edition
I’ll be having some unpleasant and extremely expensive oral surgery this morning, and when I get back, I may only be able to type, “Urrrragghhh!” So I’m counting on the commentariat to come through big time.
For some reason, comments since the last Open Forum have been sparse, with a few notable exceptions. I’m trying to learn to ignore such things. I knew I would have a use for the Serenity Prayer one of these days…
Friday Open Forum!
Why is the Open Forum so late?
Because I forgot, that’s why.
Now please prove that it didn’t matter…
The “I Feel A Storm Is Coming” Friday Open Forum
Do you feel it?
Maybe it’s my imagination.
Meanwhile, over at the House of Althouse, the former hostess, now lecturer, is still desperately trying to justify telling all her banned commenters to shut up and pay attention. The Rationalization of the Day yesterday was in the form of a long-email to Ann from someone agreeing with the killing of comments on the grounds that the regular commenters were predictable, and therefore boring. Does Althouse really think that her opinions and choices of topics aren’t usually predictable? How many amateur photos of sunrises do you need to see?
Any silenced Althouse readers are welcome to come to Ethics Alarms and opine, as long as they stick to the main topic, and follow the Comment Policies above.
Open Forum Drill!
Today was loused up by more dental adventures, but I learned something valuable that should have occurred to me long ago: Don’t assume your dentist is right, especially when he or she advocates expensive procedures. Today I visited my third tooth expert in a month, following the debacle of a week ago when I arrived at the elite oral surgeon my new dentist referred me to for three extractions, one of which he had added to my dentist’s original assessment. After I walked out of that appointment following what I felt was an unethical jerk-around by the staff, I decided to try another dentist who came highly recommended by a friend. To my surprise, and after enough x-rays to have me worried about mutating into an axolotl, today’s dentist said he thought I needed only one immediate extraction for sure, and that he could save one of the teeth while the other one could wait. This dentist, unlike the oral surgeon, also accepted my insurance. What a concept! A second opinion! And one that might save me thousands of dollars!
But I digress.
Let’s see if we can have a lively Friday Open Forum as last week, which was outstanding.
I expect second, third and fourth opinions on everything ethics.
Pulling Out Another Ethics Alarms Open Forum…
I’m getting ready to have three tooth extractions in a couple of hours, so I’m grateful that the EA commentariat is more than capable of holding things down here until I’m in some kind of shape to think about more than oral surgery.
Wait, How Can It Be Time For A Friday Open Forum Again So Soon?
And yet, the calendar doesn’t lie!
Or does it?
All ethics, all civil, all fascinating…you know, the usual.
Friday Open Forum (And Not A Second Too Soon)
I’m sorry—this should have been up early today. I was distracted by the Georgetown Law Center fiasco. Now I have BOTH my diplomas turned front to the wall.
Maybe we can get some ripping threads going that carry into the weekend (last weekend had the least viewers here in four years.)
All ethics, all civil, all brilliant , please. In other words, the usual.
Ethics Alarms 