On the ethics of debate

I agree with some of that, purpledawn, but not much.1. I don't see the relevance of Faith's post not being directed at bkelly--an assertion is an assertion; this was no Great Debate.2. Members are encouraged to take side discussions to other threads: bkelly did not raise an issue of evolution, Faith did. There was nothing "off-topic" or inappropriate about inviting her to take that discussion elsewhere--quite the contrary. Faith's comment was clearly off-topic; bkelly's response was not.3. If being off-topic immunizes one to an obligation to respond when challenged, then I understand more fully why it happens so often.Faith has in the past refused to grant that proponents of the ToE believe their own assertions, though more recently she has claimed umbrage that anyone would assert that she does not believe her own.The off-topic post that riled bkelly was one where she asserted that the ToE was a hall of mirrors, and that science was being misused to support it--that the theory is, in fact, a "hoax" and a "fabrication."She repeatedly salts her posts on other topics with such insinuations, as do other opponents of the ToE here. Here is the passage in question, with emphases added: I suppose at least "delusion" leaves some tatters of integrity on one's bones, unlike "hoax" and "fabrication."Was Faith obligated to engage the other thread? No, and bkelly should be content with all her refusal implies about the refuser.Uncivil and dishonest? You bet.

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This is quite remarkable, both as instance and as pattern: Faith makes accusations of conscious fraud, then when pressed insists she only meant they are delusional. Then she repeats the initial accusation elsewhere, sometimes even in the same thread.Faith asserts in the subtitle of her reply: Note that this is in response to her prior assertions, which I quoted in full, that the ToE is a "hoax" and a "fabrication." How does one engage in a hoax and a fabrication without meriting charges of fraudulent evidence? I look forward to hearing the spin on this. Who is Sigh? Yes, this is tedious; that's why I am taking the time and effort to address it; of course I can link to an illustrative post.In fact, I could post to a plethora of posts where you either explicitly state or imply hoax, fraud, pretense, deception, fabrication, etc., on the past of supporters of the ToE.But let's just look at the exchange I had in mind, an exchange in which I pointed out that I take your stated beliefs at face value as being genuine and requested the same courtesy; first you fail to respond, then say it was merely a hyperbolic statement of your view of evolutionists as delusional, then immediately starting moving back toward charges of fraud--which you then repeat in subsequent threads, including the recent one cited above. Let's begin here:You did not respond. So I asked again:In response, you first fall back on your standard, "nothing personal, you're just deluded" reply, and yet cannot resist repeating the insinuation:That is the pattern I see, Faith: you indulge yourself in attacks on the personal integrity of supporters of the ToE; when called on it, you claim you only meant they were delusional and refuse to engage in further debate on the point. Then you repeat the process.

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I guess we can't go on without you, after all.Ah, let's see: my use of bold is suggestively "interesting" because an immediately adjacent phrase you find exculpatory was not bolded but merely included? Would that cover it?I am underwhelmed: the bolded passage supported my assertion that you make accusations of deception; the phrase that follows supported my assertion that you then back off to a "lesser" charge of self-deception. I cannot think of a more appropriate use of emphases--almost meta-textual, really.In the message above, you proceed again to mix the two (I won't add any emphases): I am content. You may go on without me.

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