Yes... I'm posting this late, I couldn't sleep

I've been an avid pursuer of philosophy for quite some time. For no particular reason, I started reading some of the basics of philosophical thought about 15 years ago. I thought it was a passing fad; welp, guess not and my library's choked.

In any case, for quite some time now I've been looking for a forum to exchange ideas, debate, and flesh out things from varying perspectives. I'd much prefer an in-person setting, but folks don't do that anymore it seems. So I came to the internet. Actually, I used to do this long, long ago on IRC (before the net was hip). Inevitably, most discussions fell into bitter exchanges on theology. I suppose to some extent this is expected, but there's more to philosophy and a greater variety in life then the oldest argument in the book.

So I thought I'd register and check this place out.

Welcome Khethil! Thank you for the introduction and warm welcome to you. Discussing philosohy in a forum type setting is a bit different than the old IRC chat as you may have seen.

One slight difference is in the way the conversations are threaded and the email updates when a response is given, so unlike chat, it allows the poster to have some time between posts.

Another thing about the forum posting is what you say in the forum will echo a lifetime. Our kids or grandkids may someday read these very same threads and posts long after we are gone, so there's a sense of responsibility for how we treat people and having and accountability for what we write. As the internet grows and expands, more and more users will read what you have written or find it when searching the net. Forums are a great tool and provide many of great resources.

Please take some time to review the site and all the ****ons and options within your user profile. We also have blogs as well as your profile page with the ability to add photo albums, customize, create a social group to share threads and information. Over the next couple months there are going to be a number of new features added to the forum as well as some additional topics.

Anyway, welcome to the forum and if you have any questions, just ask and one of the moderators or other members will gladly assist. Hope you enjoy the community and make yourself at home.

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"By a divine paradox, wherever there is one slave there are two. So in the wonderful reciprocities of being, we can never reach the higher levels until all our fellows ascend with us." - Edwin Markham

Khethil,

Welcome Khethil, I to found it difficult to find people that wished to speak of the larger questions and I to found the internet. It seems to me when I was much younger that people were much more curious. Ah, the good old days, we make the good old days in the present, so I guess we should get on with it, glad to have you with us Khethil!!!

Thank you for your kind welcome

Well, here goes with the "me too"...

I too found it difficult to find anyone to debate things with, at least in an objective sense. Even at university it was lacking outside of philosophy classes.

The only debate you seem to find these days is political, and far from objective. Even in the coffee houses, the supposed hangout of intellectuals, it's all politics all the time.

IRC was a great place until the kiddies took over. Sure there are other philosophy sites out there (hope I don't get banned for saying that ), but if you can't quote philosophers word for word, or speak latin, you're laughed at and ignored. That's one of the reasons I like this forum. Everyone here, from the most knowledgeable to the newbie, is friendly and accepting of the occassional intellectual mistep.