Where Ideas Compete in Open Discourse

Welcome to our Marketplace of Ideas!  This is our forum for bringing thoughtful discussion, analysis and debate to a variety of topics that we hope will be of interest to all.

What We’re Up To — Our blogs will foster respectful and thoughtful discussion.  We present a wide range of issues and subjects.  Topics will include current events, politics, philosophy, ethics, science and more.  We seek depth of thought, analysis, and debate.  Visitors are challenged to read and think.

Thoughtful Discussion, Please — We are not scholars, and don’t expect our posters to be scholars (though scholars are welcome).  But we hope to engender scholarly discussion.

Basic Stuff — A free and uncluttered Marketplace of Ideas can improve the human condition.  Ideas should be open to all and judged by all.  Ideas should be freely exchanged and compete on their merits.

Personal Attacks Don’t Enhance Thoughtful Discussion — We welcome and encourage critical comments regarding our content.  Personal criticisms are not.  Polite conversation only, please.

We Blog Using Pseudonyms — Our editor and authors believe that the use of pseudonyms enhances thoughtful discussion.  We use them to focus our readers on the quality of our opinions, thoughts and ideas, and the debates that follow.  As a result, our authors’ personal motives should not distract readers.

Blog Categories

We have major categories: opinions, thoughts, ideas, and debates.  Each category will have subcategories. The blog may feature additional categories and subcategories.  We encourage your suggestions.  Lead us to what interests you.

Opinions — Posts that advocate a viewpoint.

Thoughts — Posts that contain brief observations that lead to more detailed Ideas.  No advocacy.

Ideas — Ideas consist of a detailed series of thoughts that generally are empirically based.

Debates — Posts that contain competing viewpoints.