Upset? Read FAQ first.
WAIT! If you’re angry or confused for any reason, or about to e-mail Todd, read this FAQ first…
FAQ (Frequently-Asked Questions)
Q. Todd, have you become a crazy recluse now that you have a blog to write?
A. Perhaps. Be not offended if I am seen in public less or seem uncommunicative — though it’s always possible I just didn’t get your e-mails for some technical reason, the Internet being a less than perfectly reliable thing. (NOTE: I have been sending a monthly mass e-mail to virtually everyone I know since around 2005, so if you haven’t heard from me since then, there’s a good chance there’s a lot of me in your spam filter or that you never gave me your current e-address — and thus more personalized e-mails to you, some of them brilliant, may also be lost in cyperspace.)
Q. Should I e-mail Todd?
A. No.
Q. What?! Why not?
A. I am busy and communicate with the world largely through the blog now — unless you are a friend offering an exciting social outing or a person looking to pay me for something (I mean an editor with an assignment, for example, not a spammer — your spam will prove futile; please save us both the time and effort).
Q. Why haven’t you responded to my earlier e-mail?
A. The odds are you have ignored one of the e-mailing rules noted in this FAQ, in which case don’t expect to guilt-trip me into replying — though it’s always possible your e-mail was simply lost in cyberspace.
Q. What if I have to voice an objection to something stupid you said?
A. I assume that approximately 6 billion people would disagree with some or all of the things said on this blog if they read it, so there’s no need for you to weigh in as well, though I appreciate your passion — best to direct it to other, more productive ends.
Q. What if I’ve noticed a typo or clear-cut factual error on the blog?
A. All right, that sounds useful — but only if it really is something concrete, factual, simple, and clear-cut. I am not interested in hearing about how you think my whole worldview or attitude is “an error.” If, on the other hand, I typed “Egypt” when I plainly meant to type “Syria,” thanks for pointing it out.
Q. Should I recommend books for you to read?
A. No, I barely find time to read the ones I already know about. If you want to send me a one-paragraph summary of a book instead, that might actually save me a lot of time and foster the illusion that I am broadly informed, though I would never lie about such a thing (or indeed, about anything absent the need to thwart criminals).
Q. Did you read my own recent blog post on this topic?
A. Probably not. One ironic side effect of blogging is that I don’t really have time to read things online anymore. That explains why I’m probably doing a lot less linking than some blogs do. I applaud your efforts, though, and wish I were a faster reader.
Q. Did you read my comment in your Comments section on [important issue X]?
A. Quite possibly no. I’ll check the comments occasionally to delete spam or other insanity, but I make no promises to keep up with the debates therein nor to find time to respond to them — even if I read a good counter-argument to something I said, it may just get thrown into the mental hopper for later use, if some more urgent project doesn’t arise first.
Q. Are you serious? You can’t be serious. Are you??
A. Basically, but I also know how funny it all looks in the grand scheme of things.
Q. Are you perhaps not serious enough? How dare you treat [important issue X] as if it’s a joke?
A. I should perhaps have a lengthy don’t-read-it-if-you-can’t-take-a-joke section of this FAQ and perhaps one day will. There is great value in humor even when addressing dark topics or dark times. If you disagree or think that reverence, taboos, and political correctness are the heart of etiquette and civility, I politely ask that you not read the site. If you ignore this request, it would of course be rude for you to complain to me later.
Q. Do you actively seek to offend?
A. No, but one principle to keep in mind while reading this blog that should prevent a lot of wasted energy and unnecessary arguments is this: There is always more to be said on a philosophical topic than it’s worth cramming into a brief commentary.
So if, for example, I say “Greens tend to care about the environment more than liberals do,” there’s no need to bombard me with (hypothetical) stats showing that 67% of self-identified liberals say that the environment is our top priority while only 54% of greens say that because, say, some differently-worded survey showed that 46% of greens felt “problems of globalization” was the top priority. It would still be the case that the greens, nominally at least, have a philosophy centered on environmentalism while liberalism is at least ostensibly concerned with labor issues, welfare, etc.
Likewise, if I say, as a footnote to some larger point, that conservatives and liberals are both concerned about individual liberty, there’s no need to go berserk and point out that they have different conceptions of individual liberty, as though I’ve just flatly denied that any conservative has ever wanted to put people in jail for sodomy or flatly denied that modern liberals often like vigorously prosecuting tax-evaders. I know, I know. But if I festoon every sentence with every imaginable qualification and footnote, we’re never going to get anywhere — indeed, I think this tendency to jump down people’s throats before they’ve had a chance to make their larger, and quite possibly far more valuable, points is a big reason political debate doesn’t seem to advance much. Let’s try — all of us (me too) — to break that pattern.
Q. Are you an atheist? A libertarian? A utilitarian?
A. Basically, but I reserve the right to change my mind and explore alternatives as the blog progresses, with no implicit loyalty to (or obligation to defend) any “party line.” If you’re the sort of person who freaks out at signs of apostasy, you probably shouldn’t be reading this blog. I like capitalism, freedom, and science, but I’ll say nice things about Marx or the elephant-god Ganesh if I feel like it. Hell, I’ll say nice things about Hitler if for some strange reason it proves appropriate. And maybe, if you just wait patiently and don’t bug me, I’ll say nice things about you, too.
Q. Then can I send you material making the case for my philosophy?
A. No. Why not start your own blog and make your case there?
Q. Should I send you a free book, since you review a book each month?
A. No, I’m busy enough with that one per month as it is. No more, please. No more.
