My Online Ethics
The internet is the best and the worst thing that has happened for human connection. We are able to connect with people we never would have been able to connect to but the form factor removes critical elements of human interaction that can often create sub-optimal outcomes. In order to get ahead of the common problems that come from online dialogue I am posting my own guidelines for how I conduct myself in the thunder dome that is the global town square. This is very much a v1 working working document.
Assume best intent - if you are a validated real person I am going to assume the most positive intent and tone of what you are saying.
Anonymous engagement - I believe in the importance of anonymity in many settings on the internet. That said I don’t necessarily believe in engaging with anon accounts. I assess this on a case by case basis.
Name calling and personal attacks - no matter how much I dislike someone’s opinion, I will avoid attacking the person. We are way too desensitized when it comes to online discussion. I don’t believe most people would say some of the bad things we see here online if they could see the human(s) on the other side of the screen. See the Milgram Experiment.
Disagreement is GOOD - One of my pet peeves is when someone says “I don’t agree with most of [some person]’s view, but…”. This phrasing has been too commonplace in order to signal to one’s tribe that they aren’t straying with some set of beliefs that tribe demands. No one should agree with any other person on this planet 100%. That means one of the two people isn’t thinking for themselves. Disagreement is good. It is how we find the truth. It is how we test the best ideas. And it is how we grow.
No one is right all the time - I love a good debate and reserve the right to change my mind on topics. I think the dumbest and most dangerous people tend to be those that are uncompromising on issues that are subjective and/or evolving, which is most of life. Outside of your my values, I keep an open mind regarding most issues discussed here.