Welcome to this forum, whose purpose is the serious discussion of philosophy (of any form, including both Western and Eastern), psychology, ethics and justice
(social, environmental, criminal, etc). All serious contributions in any of these four areas are welcome. Below are some suggested themes for contribution,
as well as some guidelines for posting behaviour.
Whilst this is not an exhaustive list of the possibilities, please consider contributing according to one or more of the following themes:
a. existential and metaphysical philosophy. Examples of valid topics here are the nature of the self and of consciousness; the nature of reality; and causality.
b. philosophy as an edifice of rationally constructed beliefs that inform and guide a person's behaviour. Examples of valid topics here are the philosophy behind vegetarianism; whether the Golden Rule should be observed; arguments for and against sadomasochism as a lifestyle.
c. philosophy as applied to a particular sphere of life. Examples of valid topics here are the philosophy behind democratic societies; the philosophy underlying corporate takeovers; the philosophy behind communism.
d. philosophy as propounded by a particular philosopher or recognised spiritual authority/tradition. Examples of valid topics here are the philosophies of Plato, Socrates, Jesus, Hume, Daoism, Zen Buddhism, Laozi, Zhuangzi and Nagarjuna.
e. psychology: human and animal; individual and group. Examples of valid topics here are commentary on the implications of psychological experiments; personal observations of human behaviour as driven by psychology; theories of personality.
f. ethics as applied to life in general or to a specific sphere of life. Examples of valid topics here are whether a particular research programme is ethical; whether the war on drugs is ethical; how meaningful in general the concept of ethics is and the nature of ethics.
g. justice in the world and means of overcoming injustice. Examples of valid topics here include racism and antidotes to it; the lessons learnt from South Africa's apartheid; and the alleviation of Third World poverty.
== MODERATION GUIDELINES ==
The focus of this forum is the serious discussion of philosophy, psychology, ethics and justice. Open discussion and criticism are encouraged, however civil behaviour is expected and members who cannot act like adults might receive warnings or even be banned as the moderator deems appropriate.
We hope to cultivate a cordial atmosphere on this forum. Humour is welcome, however the focus of the forum is serious discussion, so please balance your humourous contributions with serious ones. Insults are decidedly unwelcome. For guidance on what we consider to be an insult, please consult the thread What is an insult?. The moderator(s) will probably not police this policy to the letter of the law, but they will take note of offensive behaviour and will take action in extremes. Should any person feel that s/he has been insulted unfairly and desire a remedy, s/he may state this and request one. An admin/moderator will decide whether an insult has occurred and will take appropriate action. In short: play nice, guys! Let's turn this into a friendly and intelligent venue.
Whilst this is not an exhaustive list of the possibilities, please consider contributing according to one or more of the following themes:
a. existential and metaphysical philosophy. Examples of valid topics here are the nature of the self and of consciousness; the nature of reality; and causality.
b. philosophy as an edifice of rationally constructed beliefs that inform and guide a person's behaviour. Examples of valid topics here are the philosophy behind vegetarianism; whether the Golden Rule should be observed; arguments for and against sadomasochism as a lifestyle.
c. philosophy as applied to a particular sphere of life. Examples of valid topics here are the philosophy behind democratic societies; the philosophy underlying corporate takeovers; the philosophy behind communism.
d. philosophy as propounded by a particular philosopher or recognised spiritual authority/tradition. Examples of valid topics here are the philosophies of Plato, Socrates, Jesus, Hume, Daoism, Zen Buddhism, Laozi, Zhuangzi and Nagarjuna.
e. psychology: human and animal; individual and group. Examples of valid topics here are commentary on the implications of psychological experiments; personal observations of human behaviour as driven by psychology; theories of personality.
f. ethics as applied to life in general or to a specific sphere of life. Examples of valid topics here are whether a particular research programme is ethical; whether the war on drugs is ethical; how meaningful in general the concept of ethics is and the nature of ethics.
g. justice in the world and means of overcoming injustice. Examples of valid topics here include racism and antidotes to it; the lessons learnt from South Africa's apartheid; and the alleviation of Third World poverty.
== MODERATION GUIDELINES ==
The focus of this forum is the serious discussion of philosophy, psychology, ethics and justice. Open discussion and criticism are encouraged, however civil behaviour is expected and members who cannot act like adults might receive warnings or even be banned as the moderator deems appropriate.
We hope to cultivate a cordial atmosphere on this forum. Humour is welcome, however the focus of the forum is serious discussion, so please balance your humourous contributions with serious ones. Insults are decidedly unwelcome. For guidance on what we consider to be an insult, please consult the thread What is an insult?. The moderator(s) will probably not police this policy to the letter of the law, but they will take note of offensive behaviour and will take action in extremes. Should any person feel that s/he has been insulted unfairly and desire a remedy, s/he may state this and request one. An admin/moderator will decide whether an insult has occurred and will take appropriate action. In short: play nice, guys! Let's turn this into a friendly and intelligent venue.
