Calling all R&Pers!

[Diamond]

The JREF Wiki (http://www.jrefwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Religion_and_Philosophy%28Index%29 ) needs YOU!

We need YOU to define, discuss, defend, attack the following subjects:

Religious beliefs and dogmas

* Agnosticism
* Atheism
* Deism
* Monotheism
* Polytheism
* Spiritualism
* Theism

Religious concepts

* Life After Death
* Miracles
* Predestination
* Sin
* Soul
* Spirit

Philosophies

* Dualism
* Empiricism
* Materialism
* Naturalism
* Skepticism
* Supernaturalism

Now is the chance to make your mark!

Please send me an e-mail to jrefwiki@gmail.com with your JREF moniker and your real name (so we can stop imposters abusing your moniker) and when you receive your account, login, change the password to something you can remember, and then get wiki-ing!

Pick a subject you are particularly close to, so it would be nice if a dualist could define a good definition of dualism - and so on.

Read the front page of the Wiki (http://www.jrefwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page) first!

[Yahweh]

Is morality and ethics within the scope of JREFWiki?

[Upchurch]

Originally posted by Yahweh
Is morality and ethics within the scope of JREFWiki? It's within the scope of the forum board, why not the wiki?

One thing I'm vaguely worried about is the addition of such items as 'Gazerism. How does one treat such an item fairly and yet not have it become a bash piece? Maybe this is something time and experience will sort out...

I, personally, plan to add a page on Unitarianism (to which I belong) and maybe Relativity and the woo-woo pitfalls thereof (i.e. "before" the beginning of time").

[Diamond]

Originally posted by Yahweh
Is morality and ethics within the scope of JREFWiki?

My personal take: if it's part of the JREF's memes then it's usually a good idea.

The only one I would be really leery of would be political or partisan subjects. Other wikis (including the wikipedia) cover these topics far better.

I agree with Upchurch as well.

edit: WTF is Gazerism? :confused:

[Ryokan]

Originally posted by Diamond
WTF is Gazerism? :confused:

The philosophy of Lifegazer, prophet of the ~percieved~.

How can you be in this forum and miss it? :p

[Lord Emsworth]

Originally posted by Diamond
edit: WTF is Gazerism? :confused:


There must be hundreds of looooong threads in the R&P revolving around and feeding Lifegazer. I suppose that if you have read one page of such a thread you have seen it all.

[Z]

'Gazerism' is actually a variation - not very variable, but that's not the point - of acosmism.

I'll offer to write a piece on acosmism, and I'll do it fairly. I'd also be happy to write on Wicca, though I'm far less qualified than others; and I'd be happy to write about New Age subjects.

I think most of you know I'll be objective about these subjects.

[c4ts]

If there's going to be Gazerism, why not Logical Deism? How many other forum trolls get their own religions?

[Upchurch]

Right. I wouldn't go so far as calling them "religions" or "philosophies". "Memes" perhaps or at least reference list, a la Tricky?

[toddjh]

Not to be a stick in the mud, but what is the purpose of the JREF wiki? Wikipedia already has extensive entries on nearly all of these topics. It seems like this is just a serious duplication of effort.

Jeremy

[Yahweh]

Originally posted by toddjh
Not to be a stick in the mud, but what is the purpose of the JREF wiki? Wikipedia already has extensive entries on nearly all of these topics. It seems like this is just a serious duplication of effort.
I'd argue that the JREF Wiki aims for specialization and specific expertise, making it a more valuable resource.

And also, Wikipedians are lame, JREFWIKI is t3h rox0rz!!!1!!!1!

[geni]

Originally posted by Yahweh
I'd argue that the JREF Wiki aims for specialization and specific expertise, making it a more valuable resource.

And also, Wikipedians are lame, JREFWIKI is t3h rox0rz!!!1!!!1!

Oh yeah?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/133t

[geni]

Originally posted by c4ts
If there's going to be Gazerism, why not Logical Deism? How many other forum trolls get their own religions?

A few

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sollog

although wikipedia does not have an article on Logical Deism

[Diamond]

Originally posted by toddjh
Not to be a stick in the mud, but what is the purpose of the JREF wiki? Wikipedia already has extensive entries on nearly all of these topics. It seems like this is just a serious duplication of effort.

Jeremy

I think the difference is not in the definition part, but in the discussion. Wikipedia strives to be neutral. A skeptical dictionary does not need to.

Also I was frustrated that
a) the same responses to woo-woo claims were made over and over again.
b) great discussions/definitions/articles were being lost to the back of the database or lost in Great Forum Purges. The forum is not really a useful searchable database of claims.

We do have a form of expertise in encountering, analysing and refuting unlikely claims. I wanted to capture that in a searchable encyclopedia.

[Upchurch]

Diamond, is the wiki down?

[Darat]

Originally posted by Upchurch
Diamond, is the wiki down?

No it’s just slow. (It’s not the fastest host - but it’s cheap and should be adequate to get things up and going.)

[P.S.A.]

One thing I'm vaguely worried about is the addition of such items as 'Gazerism. How does one treat such an item fairly and yet not have it become a bash piece? Maybe this is something time and experience will sort out...

I suggest that instead of an actual entry, with discussion of what "Gazerism" entails, which must of course raise the issue of acosmism amongst other generic topics, that instead you simply have a small link along these lines.

Gazerism

Synonymns: Lifegazerism, "prophet of the ~percieved~" etc

Refers to: The writings and ideas of the poster known as Lifegazer (Hotlinked to JREF Profile).

Please See: List of suggested threads here

Obviously in Lifegazer's case, his last posts here aren't going to be very fair towards his own ideas... then again, my own view is that they should be included simply because they show what the mind behind his posts actually was.

However, objectivity is the JREF watchword, so perhaps allow only nominations of both synonyms and representative threads, carefully vetted to try and at least show the basic concepts behind each person's thoughts (If possible, and with some of them, it probably won't be)

The problem with even this basic reference tool is that it runs the risk of enraging those who see their ideas "taken control of" by the JREF... and also, needless to say, with regards to some well known people/ideas (Jedi Knight say) the JREF might not actually want to be associated with, at all. It thus might be more trouble than it's ultimately worth to consider including well known community concepts within the official JREF Wiki.

Personally, I'm would like to see it included, but only so you can't just disappear nonsense you've stated into the memory hole of the past, or rehash old arguments with new faces here on the boards. But I accept that it may not be what is best for the JREF as a whole.

[c4ts]

How about an entry for "determinism?"

[Diamond]

Originally posted by c4ts
How about an entry for "determinism?"

Of course. Are you volunteering to write it?

[ceo_esq]

I post quite a bit in R&P, and would not be averse to drafting an entry or two. On the other hand, I am averse to disclosing my name to you for that purpose, Diamond. Don't take it personally, of course.

Is there another means of addressing security concerns? If not, I'll bide my time until an alternative has been devised.

[geni]

Originally posted by ceo_esq
I post quite a bit in R&P, and would not be averse to drafting an entry or two. On the other hand, I am averse to disclosing my name to you for that purpose, Diamond. Don't take it personally, of course.

Is there another means of addressing security concerns? If not, I'll bide my time until an alternative has been devised.

Change the name in yor profile to something that isn't your real name. It is that name that your aplication will be cheacked against.

[ceo_esq]

Originally posted by geni
Change the name in yor profile to something that isn't your real name. It is that name that your aplication will be cheacked against. Thank you.

[c4ts]

Originally posted by Diamond
Of course. Are you volunteering to write it?

I am now.

[Melendwyr]

I think the difference is not in the definition part, but in the discussion. Wikipedia strives to be neutral. A skeptical dictionary does not need to. I think it would be more accurate to say that Wikipedia strives to be inoffensive, whereas a skeptical dictionary does not need to.

We do want the articles to be neutral, evenhanded, and fair. Calling a spade a spade is being fair. Having to call it a 'delving instrument' because some people are offended by spades really isn't.

[LotusMegami]

I was hoping to help out with Utilitarianism, but I wonder if I may have misinterpreted it.

In my philosophy class last year I found Utilitarianism to be very appealing. However, at the time I did not consider the voluntary suffering in pursuit of delayed gratification.

Whoa, that's barely English right there. I'll try not to talk like my textbook anymore :)

For example, exercising hard to get into shape. In the long term, this is a benefit, but it does require some suffering in the present.

[Diamond]

The new wiki is called SkepticWiki and is at http://www.skepticwiki.org/wiki

The JREFwiki will be deleted soon. No flowers. Cremation only.

[kmortis]

The new wiki is called SkepticWiki and is at http://www.skepticwiki.org/wiki

The JREFwiki will be deleted soon. No flowers. Cremation only.

can we shoot the ashes out into space?

[Diamond]

can we shoot the ashes out into space?

You can blow them anywhere. But write an article about it first.;)