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PaperclipPerfector  4d ago (text post)   2088 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 2, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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I think "consensus building" is not the best term. I'd like everybody to think that the things I think are true and moral and good are indeed true and moral and good. I would argue with people and tell them why I think is is the case, and try to convince them to agree with me. On some, very rare occasions, I would succeed. If I were smarter and better at this, I would succeed a lot, and thus there would be a consensus building around those things. I don't think doing this is bad and the result of it is bad.

And I don't think this is what the rule about "consensus building" is against. I think they target the behavior where you pretend the consensus already exists, and, moreover, if you're not a part of it, it's because there's something fundamentally wrong with you and your position, per se, prior to any argument, is illegitimate. There can be no proper discussion when one of the sides presupposes only their side has a legitimate position.

I think it's legitimate to refuse to argue with a position that one considers utterly ridiculous. Nobody owes anyone else the discussion, it should be a product of mutual engagement. So if I think some person is not worth my time to engage, I would not. I like arguing, but I have my limits. For some positions, I am going to just block that person and ignore them forever (for me, it's antisemites, but everybody may have their preferences). But I also recognize explicitly that this is the opposite of discussion, and try to use this approach only sparingly. If there is a discussion, then presupposing the opponent can not have a legitimate argument should not be a part of it. I think that's what "no consensus building" rule is about, or it should be.

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