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Small-Scale Question Sunday for June 18, 2023

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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Noob question: Can someone explain to me why arguing for something you don't believe in can sometimes get you modded or at least warned? I've witnessed it a few times and don't understand what the personal beliefs of the author have to do with the quality of an argument.

Example:

https://www.themotte.org/post/530/culture-war-roundup-for-the-week/108271?context=8#context

All of our rules, but especially the requirement to speak plainly, are meant to encourage good faith engagement where you can reasonably assume that the person you are talking to is being honest and straightforward with you and not playing games, trolling, collecting examples of "bad responses" for future use, or trying to spring a gotcha on you. We are extremely permissive about allowing almost any argument, but we are very strict about how you present those arguments.

If you want to play devil's advocate, or steelman a position you don't necessarily endorse, you need to be up front about it.

Additionally, mods often see things you do not, which also informs our decisions about whether we believe someone is a bad actor.