Hello Philforum

[Robert]

Hello folks. My name is, unsurprisingly, Robert and I currently live in Costa Rica but grew up in the US, Brazil and Japan (among other countries).

I'm looking forward to getting to know the rest of you around on the boards.

[Leonard]

Welcome to the forum Robert.

[Zetherin]

For those of you who don't know, Robert is the new owner of this site -- Justin sold it to him a few days ago.

Let's all give him a big warm welcome and some support for taking the reigns of such an endeavor!

Glad to have you on board, Robert!

[Robert]

I've been outed! :-)

Anyone want to give me the lay of the land? For example, is this a predominantly theist forum? Or a predominantly atheist forum? Or is it pretty evenly divided? What about politics, does the board lean left or right?

[Theaetetus]

It is pretty evenly divided on both. We have many theists, atheists, and agnostics alike. We also have many libertarians, communists, socialists, and a handful of conservatives out there. In general they play nice with each other, and for the most part, agree to disagree while conversing amongst each other.

[VideCorSpoon]

Hey Robert! Welcome to the forum!

I honestly think the forum is evenly divided. I think that’s the best part about the forum though. You get Atheists, Theists, Buddhists, Muslims, Agnostics, and the occasional follower of FSM (Flying Spaghetti monster). It’s actually sorta neat that way, all you have to do is go look up a thread and start getting into the omnipotent powers of spaghetti and meatballs. LOL! If philosophy forum were a bag of nuts, it would be Chinese trail mix. Are there any nuts in Chinese trail mix you ask? In this case... yes... yes there is. LOL!

As far as politics are concerned, I would probably argue a majority of the members on this forum lean left (my right). That’s certainly not a bad thing though, in fact, I would think you get a more diverse perspective from that side of the aisle.

What about you? What are your philosophical interests?

[Justin]

Welcome Robert!

Videcor has pretty much summarized it up above. The forum is fairly evenly split. I have a feeling there are more atheists than theists though but not by large margins. We're definitely a mixed bag of 'nuts' here, and now you're just another nut like the rest of us. LOL.

Thanks for your introduction and we all look forward to your taking of the helm and seeing whats in store for the future. Feel free to ask any questions you'd like.

[Pangloss]

I would agree that the board is quite even and balanced, though it probably tends to lean a bit more to the left than the right in political views, and it also tends to be more atheist or agnostic than theist.

[Robert]

Originally Posted by VideCorSpoon

What about you? What are your philosophical interests?

There's precious little that I am not interested in, however you could say that my philosophical interests are primarily concerned with logic and ethics.

As far as my personal beliefs and leanings I am an atheist (though I don't have a problem with theists) and mostly lean left (a bit of a fiscal conservative but social liberal).

[Aedes]

Originally Posted by Robert

Anyone want to give me the lay of the land? For example, is this a predominantly theist forum? Or a predominantly atheist forum? Or is it pretty evenly divided? What about politics, does the board lean left or right?

What I'd say is that there are strong opinions on both sides (of both debates, political and religious), and there are a number of flexible peacemakers in the middle. I don't know that the board has a character about it. Always a challenge to keep the sparks from flying and to foster a debate that can be feisty without being offensive.