Philosophy Forum Rules

The Philosophy board has some local rules in addition to the ILP Forum Rules.

[size=120]1. Posting Content[/size]
1[size=150].[/size]1The first post in a new thread on Philosophy should contain some form of philosophical thesis for discussion. Mods may suggest moving a post that looks to be more suited to another forum.
1[size=150].[/size]2 Straight questions looking for straight answers, especially those that appear to be requests for help with homework, will be moved to the Sandbox at the moderators’ discretion. Rewording as a statement and writing “Discuss” will probably not help.
1[size=150].[/size]3 New posts advertising a blog, directing the reader to a book or a video and then asking for discussion, urging people to take online polls outside ILP, etc… will be moved to Mundane Babble. If the subject is worth discussion, write a precis in the body of the post and provide a link at the end.
1[size=150].[/size]4 Posts containing offensive, inflammatory, or illegal material may be moved to the Rant House, Quarantine, or deleted, at the moderators’ discretion. This will probably result in a warning.
1[size=150].[/size]5 Posts should remain broadly relevant to the thread subject. Intentional derailing of a discussion may result in a warning.
1[size=150].[/size]6 Commercial spam will be removed and the poster banned permanently.

[size=120]2. Posting Style [/size]
2[size=150].[/size]1 Show courtesy to other posters at all times: no flaming. Insulting, aggressive or demeaning behaviour towards others will result in a warning.
2[size=150].[/size]2 Arguments should be made in good faith: no trolling. If a moderator sees a poster presenting an argument and dismissing any counterpoints without engaging them, or suspects someone of presenting arguments purely for the sake of inflaming debate or annoying other posters, a warning may be issued.
2[size=150].[/size]3 No flooding the board with dozens of new threads in a short time. Excessive threads may be moved to Quarantine or deleted at the moderators’ discretion.
2[size=150].[/size]4 Posts may be edited up to 48 hours after submission: after this time they are locked. “Deleting” a post by editing all(or a significant amount) of the text out is disruptive, especially if the thread has grown in the meantime, and is a warnable offence. Multiple offences may mean multiple warnings.

[size=120]3. Moderation[/size]
3[size=150].[/size]1 Generally, although not always, a moderator will give an unofficial caution in-thread or by PM, before giving an official board warning. These may be addressed to an individual or to several participants.
3[size=150].[/size]2 After the first official warning, subsequent offences will lead to temporary bans. See the ILP Forum Rules.
3[size=150].[/size]3 Banned posters are banned. This means that other sockpuppet accounts active on the board will also be banned until the original poster’s ban runs out. Posting on behalf of a banned poster will get you banned.
3[size=150].[/size]4 In extreme cases, the moderators as a group may make the decision to permanently ban a member from posting.
3[size=150].[/size]5 If you wish to protest a moderator’s handling of an issue, feel free to contact another moderator or make a post on the Help and Suggestions board. Similarly, if you have any questions or suggestions about the rules, feel free to PM the board mod or use the H&S board.

The rules were last updated June 10, 2011.