Buh-bye, asshole.

[JimC]

Thinking there are communists trying to take over everywhere thats schiziophrenic paranoia, hospital time, urging for the government to be otherthrown because of it treason through I think you would have a good defence of insanity

...unless there are communists trying to take over everywhere...or somewhere in particular, which happens to be the case, which makes it reasonable and prudent.

Have you checked under your bed yet? There may be reds there too!

[Hermit]

He doesn't believe all the stuff he writes. He plays devils advocate and takes opposite views to argue with people. Some call it trolling.

That's not trolling or Socrates was a troll. Trolling is taking insincere or deliberately contentious views to deliberately provoke heated responses, flaming etc. I doubt Seth's goal is to provoke flame wars.

Have you seen Seth's Signature? I think he is quite proud of being described as a "Grandmaster Zen Troll". It amuses me that in more than one post he overtly admits to intentionally transgressing one of The Tenets of Tolerism™, the religion he invented and wrote the tenets of, which reads: "We hold that dissimulation and dishonesty are morally wrong, and we strive to express ourselves honestly and respectfully" In many others, he simply fails to practice what he preaches.

(My bolding)

[Robert_S]

On the other hand, Seth has made it clear that he will take either side of an argument and with a few explicitly stated exceptions, we should not assume that what he's arguing is his actual position. I conjecture that he does so on issues that he is not 100% decided on and is "trolling" people to get them to state their points of view on the matter and thus help him form his own.

I find that if I detach a little and say "Hail Eris!" then he's actually quite fun to read even when what he says alarms me.

I said what Seth quoted in response to people from some other forum coming to this forum to warn us all about how awful he is; which made me, and possibly a few other people, downright determined to give him a clean slate, a fresh start and an unbiased hearing. I can almost hear the voices of Alan Watts and Robert Anton Wilson laughing in the wind over that.

[Hermit]

Seth has made it clear that he will take either side of an argument and with a few explicitly stated exceptions, we should not assume that what he's arguing is his actual position.

Well. Yes. Also known as dissimulation. No rules against that in this forum (yet), but it contradicts one of the tenets of the religion he invented.

[Seth]

How would you ever know? He doesn't believe all the stuff he writes. He plays devils advocate and takes opposite views to argue with people. Some call it trolling.

That's not trolling or Socrates was a troll. Trolling is taking insincere or deliberately contentious views to deliberately provoke heated responses, flaming etc. I doubt Seth's goal is to provoke flame wars.

Well done. Few and far between are the people who can actually make the correct, and intentional connection between Socrates and Seth.

[Seth]

Thinking there are communists trying to take over everywhere thats schiziophrenic paranoia, hospital time, urging for the government to be otherthrown because of it treason through I think you would have a good defence of insanity

...unless there are communists trying to take over everywhere...or somewhere in particular, which happens to be the case, which makes it reasonable and prudent.

Have you checked under your bed yet? There may be reds there too!

Yes, I check regularly. None there so far. Obviously they are afraid of getting shot. The federal government, on the other hand, is stuffed to the gills with them. Where's McCarthy when you really need him?

[Seth]

He doesn't believe all the stuff he writes. He plays devils advocate and takes opposite views to argue with people. Some call it trolling.

That's not trolling or Socrates was a troll. Trolling is taking insincere or deliberately contentious views to deliberately provoke heated responses, flaming etc. I doubt Seth's goal is to provoke flame wars.

Have you seen Seth's Signature? I think he is quite proud of being described as a "Grandmaster Zen Troll". It amuses me that in more than one post he overtly admits to intentionally transgressing one of The Tenets of Tolerism™, the religion he invented and wrote the tenets of, which reads: "We hold that dissimulation and dishonesty are morally wrong, and we strive to express ourselves honestly and respectfully" In many others, he simply fails to practice what he preaches.

(My bolding)

This is not real life, in case you forgot. This is a discussion forum, and my express purposes here are laid out in detail. What passes here has no connection to real life, it's all a dream, a mere intellectual exercise in which I play the interlocutor and the Socratic guide. I cause people to think and respond, using time-tested tactics of rhetoric. Nothing written here is ever attributed to the actual individual behind the keyboard. It's all about the interplay of ideas and stimulating vigorous debate, but it reflects neither the true nature and character of my opponents nor myself.

Nothing in Tolerism™ prohibits lively or even contentious debate, so long as the debate is voluntary. That's how the journey towards enlightenment proceeds.

[Seth]

Seth has made it clear that he will take either side of an argument and with a few explicitly stated exceptions, we should not assume that what he's arguing is his actual position.

Well. Yes. Also known as dissimulation. No rules against that in this forum (yet), but it contradicts one of the tenets of the religion he invented.

Not at all. This is in fact a proper forum for exploring all sides of an argument, and taking positions opposed to or in conflict with one's actual position is one of the very best methods of expanding one's knowledge and understanding that exists. It's not "dissimulation" because I've made it perfectly clear that I may do so without warning. Dissimulation = "The inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery" (Merriam Websters)

Taking a particular position in a debate or argument, even if it is one opposed to one's true beliefs, is not lies or trickery, nor is it misleading, because there is no presumption or rule here that one is or must only represent one's true opinions in arguments.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

How would you ever know? He doesn't believe all the stuff he writes. He plays devils advocate and takes opposite views to argue with people. Some call it trolling.

That's not trolling or Socrates was a troll. Trolling is taking insincere or deliberately contentious views to deliberately provoke heated responses, flaming etc. I doubt Seth's goal is to provoke flame wars.

Well done. Few and far between are the people who can actually make the correct, and intentional connection between Socrates and Seth.

One took hemlock, one needs to.

[JimC]

How would you ever know? He doesn't believe all the stuff he writes. He plays devils advocate and takes opposite views to argue with people. Some call it trolling.

That's not trolling or Socrates was a troll. Trolling is taking insincere or deliberately contentious views to deliberately provoke heated responses, flaming etc. I doubt Seth's goal is to provoke flame wars.

Well done. Few and far between are the people who can actually make the correct, and intentional connection between Socrates and Seth.

One took hemlock, one needs to.

At least he gave the rest of Athens the finger!

[.Morticia.]

Thinking there are communists trying to take over everywhere thats schiziophrenic paranoia, hospital time, urging for the government to be otherthrown because of it treason through I think you would have a good defence of insanity

I blame Engels.

I blame Bakunin , the splitter.

[ScholasticSpastic]

Seth, do you honestly believe Obama is involved in a Marxist conspiracy designed to destroy the United States?

This simply can't be true. I haven't seen Obama at any of the meetings.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Seth, do you honestly believe Obama is involved in a Marxist conspiracy designed to destroy the United States?

This simply can't be true. I haven't seen Obama at any of the meetings.

He is the one that comes dressed at Trotsky in drag.

[.Morticia.]

Seth, do you honestly believe Obama is involved in a Marxist conspiracy designed to destroy the United States?

This simply can't be true. I haven't seen Obama at any of the meetings.

It's crap.

The marxists hate him.

btw, I haven't seen you at any meetings.

[.Morticia.]

Seth, do you honestly believe Obama is involved in a Marxist conspiracy designed to destroy the United States?

This simply can't be true. I haven't seen Obama at any of the meetings.

He is the one that comes dressed at Trotsky in drag.

I thought he was the one with the curly red hair and top hat?