ID Topic Suggestions

[Alpha]

Do you have an idea for a topic for our humble Intellectual Discussion sub-forum, but don't want to create the thread yourself?

Perhaps you are interested in reading about a topic but don't feel able to (or don't want to) start or maintain a fun, constructive discussion about that which interests you?

Well, there may be a TFFer who can help out! And this is the place to ask.

Suggest a topic! Anything at all!

Look at the suggestions. Anything you have learned about at school or college? Anything you're passionate about? Anything you may want to research for yourself, but have lacked the motivation?

Take a suggestion. Run with it. Create a thread. Facilitate a supportive discussion!

Use this space to ask the member who suggests a thread more about their intentions for the topic, if you want to. For example, the topic may be on 'Christianity and the environment'. What kind of relationship between the two do they want emphasised?

Prod them. Get support from other members! There may be more than one person interested in the construction of a thread. Suggest some source material (news websites, etc.) that could be of use. Collaborate!

Ultimately, ID is only what we make of it. Many hands make light work: so spread the load. Suggest an idea for discussion. Gauge the level of interest in it. Get help constructing it. Help create better ideas for discussion.

Most importantly, enjoy it. It's ours.


::Meier -- this be the thread. Sticky please. Any suggestions on how I could/should change this OP would be appreciated (VM).::

[DragonHeart]

I have a topic suggestion: the issue of medically assisted suicide. I've been thinking about this recently and while I'm not yet prepared to go in-depth on it, I am interested in seeing some reasoning for/against.

Also, I was thinking it might be interesting to make a TFF version of Project Vote Smart's Political Courage Test. It would probably take some work to adapt though, and like theirs, we'd need multiple versions of it. The cool thing about it would be that one doesn't need to be political to answer it as long as one has views on the topics, and of course not every question would have to be answered. /shrugs. Just a thought.

~DragonHeart~

[Alpha]

I'm not exactly an expert on voluntary euthanasia, but I can dig up some resources if no one who actually knows anything about turns up in the next while.

Also, what is Project Vote Smart's Political Courage Test?

[Sasquatch]

Well ... there's the topic of the American mid-term elections coming up. How will voters react to Obama, and how bad will the Democratic Party take a beating? It's somewhat obvious that voters are unhappy with Obama's performance -- now some of the Congressmen that did and didn't support his policies are on the ballot again, and of course, some of them won't make it back into office. Then, after the elections, there's always ideas on exactly why who did or didn't get elected/reelected.

[Alpha]

That sounds fairly specific, if I may say so. At least from my perspective, I've only heard about the prominent candidates, and, especially, the female conservatives. I read a really interesting commentary on whether or not these so-called "mama grizzles" can be considered feminists, given their rejection of traditional feminist causes, such as reproductive rights.

What I mean is, if you were to look at why a given candidate won an election, then you would need information about that specific race. Apart from the ones making major headlines, that would perhaps require knowledge about the particular state in question. Or would it?

And...am I on the same page here? Hasn't the mid-term election already finished? You seem to be using future tense.

[Sasquatch]

That sounds fairly specific, if I may say so. At least from my perspective, I've only heard about the prominent candidates, and, especially, the female conservatives. ... What I mean is, if you were to look at why a given candidate won an election, then you would need information about that specific race. Apart from the ones making major headlines, that would perhaps require knowledge about the particular state in question. Or would it?

For specific candidates, yes. But there is a much bigger picture and questions as to, say, why each party lost or gained seats. Not to mention, there was a lot happening in state congresses, and quite a few mayoral races.

And...am I on the same page here? Hasn't the mid-term election already finished? You seem to be using future tense.

... Damn. I've been without internet for a while and just forgot. Oh well, I guess I can try to figure out how everything went.

[DragonHeart]

Project Vote Smart - If you look on the left sidebar, it's the third one down, Issue Positions (Political Courage Test). I found it quite interesting, myself. They also apparently update the test every year to reflect new issues and candidates.

As to the other issue, I'm no expert either, I happened to read an article about it not long ago and it got me to thinking. I don't have time to really research it right now but I think it could be an interesting look at the other side of 'living' rights--the right to die. When I think about it, that's one of the most personal rights of all, really.

~DragonHeart~

[Alpha]

OK I think I'm getting my head around this 'political courage' test. Simple way to explain it for anyone who, like me, had never heard of it is to click on the link below, which takes you to the 2010 test itself.

http://votesmart.org/pdf/2010/pct/20...urage_Test.pdf

I can see this being quite interesting and revealing about our members. I can see it being directly applicable to members here, although I would suggest generalising some of the questions as they are (obviously and intentionally) American-orientated, and therefore not directly compatible.

Do you think we should simplify the questions to broad areas (perhaps one or two questions per section), or leave it as is (or a balance)?

EDIT: As an aside, this whole project is exactly what modern democracies need, and just looking at five candidates at random, all had refused to complete the test. How exactly do they expect voters to make informed choices? Hell, I'd almost be willing to vote for someone just because they have completed the test and their opponent did not. Because then I know that the candidate is honest and transparent. And when I pay their salaries, that's the least I expect.

[DragonHeart]

That's why I was thinking we'd need a few different versions. You could go either way with it, I do like how specific it is about current issues but I know without alterations it wouldn't be fair to non-American members.

I also find it very telling that the only person who took it in my state is the governor and I did actually agree with most of what he had to say. I particularly liked that he went into detail about almost every issue on the test instead of just checking everything off. Pretty telling about the people who don't take it, especially since he actually encouraged them to take it himself. Stuff like this is why I hate politics so much--no one's ever willing to own their own views. And technically they're supposed to be representing the views of the people anyways, so theirs shouldn't matter as much, but we still need to know where they stand.

And I agree, I'd much rather vote for someone who's willing to put their views out for everyone to see. Especially when the test is generally about hot issues. I really love what the project is doing, I just wish more people knew about it. I didn't stumble across it until the day after the midterm election, naturally. But I'll be prepared for the next vote.

~DragonHeart~

[Rocky]

I love how were having an intellectual discussion on what should be an intellectual discussion topic, its so deep I feel like my head is in the abyss.

Anywho, can someone make a topic about conspiracies, Illuminati, New World Order, something like that? Because I think it would be fun and it's a debatable topic? gogogogo

[Meier Link]

I have an idea for a thread. I did a lot of research into this topic as a senior in high school but it has been to long and I can't remember 1/1000 of it.

I would like to see a discussion based around the history of Christianity in relation to the down fall of Rome. It is highly debatable if some one wants to run with it and it would be interesting to see the different out looks from different regions of the world.

Just don't know how to word the OP to make it a debatable topic. Any help with this one from anyone that has looked into it?

[Alpha]

@Rocky: http://thefinalfantasy.net/forums/ge...-theories.html I'm approximately twelve months ahead of you. Or did you want a more 'intellectual' discussion? The problem there is that conspiracy theories are usually such utter rubbish that the only appropriate reaction is to laugh. Consider the theory that all US presidents (and, I assume, other important people) have not actually been members of the species homo sapiens, but a race of alien lizards ("Reptilians"). I am not joking; people actually believe this.

According to British writer David Icke, 5 to 12-foot (1.5 - 3.7 m) tall, blood-drinking, shape-shifting reptilian humanoids from the Alpha Draconis star system, now hiding in underground bases in Hollow Earth, are the force behind a worldwide conspiracy directed at humanity. He claims that the reptilians maintain their control through the generation of fear and negative emotion, which is food to these entities, by manufacturing conflicts, primarily wars.He contends that most of the world's leaders are in fact related to these reptilians. Icke's theories now have supporters in 47 countries and he frequently gives lectures to crowds of 2,500 or more. American writer Vicki Santillano ranked the notion that "Reptilian humanoids control all of us" as the 10th most popular conspiracy theory. Some have suggested that Icke's ideas are code for anti-Semitic views, an interpretation he vehemently denounces as a systematic approach to discredit anyone speaking against the conspiracist agenda. [Wikipedia]

@DragonHeart: I was going to just PM you, but seeing that I'm here anyway, do you want to pull out a few questions from the Project Vote Smart sheet? If not, I'm happy to do it; I just didn't want to poach your idea.

@Meier: I can't help with that personally. It also sounds quite broad to me. Do you have a way to break it down?

[Heartless Angel]

I liked the idea for the robot rights thread. AI is a subject I'm very interested in, but you're a hell of a lot better at starting an ID topic than I am, I've tried it other places <.< I'd love to see some more topics on the possibility of sentient machines, specific rights, maybe some epistemological debate on how we could prove or test a computer's sentience, etc...

[DragonHeart]

You're not poaching my ideas, considering that I'm throwing them in the suggestion box lol. I'm bringing them up because I'm more of a thread killer than a thread starter, so I'd rather see topics have at least a decent chance of being discussed haha.

~DragonHeart~

[Josh_R]

I have been wanting to make a thread about opinions of the death penalty. Everytime I start to make it I quickly go back a page. I guess I don't really know how to approach it, or how to even start it.

[Victoria]

I suggest we don't do a death penalty one, because that's one of those topics that has been done to death. >_>;

But then again not everyone here has talked about it, which is fine.. I just don't want to see the death penalty made like every week or month. lol

[Alpha]

Well, to address both suggestions about the death penalty thread (to make it; and to maybe make it), can anybody think of a new approach to questioning the issue?

And DragonHeart, is it just me, or... did you address what I wanted there? I just need to know if you will be pulling something out for the Project Vote Smart questions. If you can't/don't want to, then I will. I'm just not sure what you were saying up there.

[DragonHeart]

If we have a death penalty thread floating around still, reviving it is an option as well. I don't see a problem with necroposting in a topic like that.

And no, I'm not able to pull the Vote Smart stuff right now. Go ahead if you want to.

~DragonHeart~

[Josh_R]

If we have a death penalty thread floating around still, reviving it is an option as well. I don't see a problem with necroposting in a topic like that.

I searched for a little while last night for one, but had zero luck. I have zero problem necroposting in a thread like that. If there is a thread already, and someone finds it please post a link.

[Meier Link]

I closed the last death penalty thread a while back and moved it to the CoD along with other threads I deemed worthy of keeping around. Apparently someone else decided it was not even though it was a very active topic in its prime and had a lot of good content and it was pruned along with a lot of the other threads I deemed worthy.

Feel free to make a new one. I would like to see a twist on it as Toph said. If not then a general conversation about it as a whole is fine also.

[Victoria]

Merlin cleaned out a lot of the archives, because the archives is meant for stuff that's REALLY REALLY GOOD. Andro and I are kinda miffed that a lot of the RP topics got pruned also, but you know, them's the breaks.

We have to learn not to be pack rats. I guess he just didn't deem them to be good enough to keep. *shrug* Ah well.

[Meier Link]

@Meier: I can't help with that personally. It also sounds quite broad to me. Do you have a way to break it down?

Sorry for the delay in response back to this thread. I left the over all topic kind of broad and open for a reason, I want the person that makes the OP to control the direction of the thread.

It is widely speculated that the fall of ancient Rome was mainly due to the adoption of the Roman Church and the induction of Christianity.

Then again it could be an open based thread centering about peoples thoughts and debates as to what was the main contributing fact that led to the down fall of the might Roman Empire.

Also a second though. Seeing there is a variety of ways to debate in an ID fashion. There could be a thread about the proper way to debate and it could be centered around peoples ideas of what a proper debate should be.

Then again I was tempted to make a request for a thread revolving about the validity of love triangle debates...

[Spooniest]

I am new here.

I'd like to make a thread to discuss this.

But I wanted to roll my little 1d20 for a stupid check first. Is this going to be blasted out of existence for breaking some rule I'm new and not familiar with?

[Rowan]

I am new here.

I'd like to make a thread to discuss this.

But I wanted to roll my little 1d20 for a stupid check first. Is this going to be blasted out of existence for breaking some rule I'm new and not familiar with?

There have been far worse topics mate, go nuts.