What has TSZ accomplished? 7 years and counting

I have recently realized that The Skeptical Zone blog has had its 7th year anniversary…
Since Dr. Liddle has return, at least temporarily, I thought it could be a great opportunity to evaluate what the goal of TSZ was, when it opened for business over 7 years ago, and whether such goal(s) have been accomplished, if any…

Here is what Dr. Liddle’s mission statement was in the introductory web page:

” My name is Elizabeth Liddle, and I started this site to be a place where people could discuss controversial positions about life, the universe and everything with minimal tribal rancour (pay no attention to the penguins….)

My motivation for starting the site has been the experience of trying to discuss religion, politics, evolution, the Mind/Brain problem, creationism, ethics, exit polls, probability, intelligent design, and many other topics in venues where positions are strongly held and feelings run high. In most venues, one view dominates, and there is a kind of “resident prior” about the integrity, intelligence and motivation of those who differ from the majority view.

That is why the strapline says: “Park your priors by the door”. They may be adjusted by the time you leave!

I will start the blog off with a series of posts arising from some interesting discussions at Uncommon Descent, which were difficult to pursue because of the blog format over there. I hope that the participants in those discussions will come over here where we can continue them without having to move from squat to squat on other threads, derailing them as we go.

I also hope that other people will join me in posting new OPs, so that it becomes a group blog, and that people will also offer to write guest OPs.

In the mean time, welcome to all, and have a free virtual beer on the house!

Lizzie”

Anyway, I was hoping that some current and regular participants of TSZ would like to reflect and share their views of what they thought this blog would accomplish when it first commenced its operations over 7 years ago, and whether it has fulfilled their expectations in anyway…

I would be especially interested how many, and which bloggers at TSZ ‘Parked their priors by the door’ ...if at all

BTW: I hope that I’m not stepping over Dr. Liddle’s privileges by submitting an OP of this nature…

63 thoughts on “What has TSZ accomplished? 7 years and counting

  1. Alan Fox:
    J-Mac, curb the personal attacks, please.

    Sorry, but this was a response to your (admins) lack of response to OMagain’s constant unfounded accusations… I find it funny but my kids read it too… How many times is he going to accuse people of dishonesty before something is done?

    Are keiths’ accusations any different?

  2. OMagain,

    Well. Its a instinct. When conclusions clash surely the wrong one loses crdedibility on a drip if not a purge. I say you can tell.
    I note ID does not get nimpressed with criticisms from the other side. YEC can’t be impressed and isn’t.
    I do see the evolutionist side have to hustle. In fact these type of blogs exist ONLY because of ID/YEC being agents of change and the change must be dealt with.
    Posters here exist only because of the revolution of modern creationism and its confidence.
    You can tell.
    Its like seeing old time marxism/commieism getting weaker and weaker during the 19 70’s and 80’s and then exploding into nothing.
    All along they would deny there is any drip of loss. yEt you could tell.

  3. This site used to serve well as a sort of UD Watch. But there is lately nothing to watch at UD these days.

  4. TSZ accomplished nothing other than it got some venting place for the frustrated ones…

  5. Neil Rickert: I suppose any religion that is literalist about Adam & Eve.

    If evolution were a scientific theory or even a scientific hypothesis, it would qualify as science… Since it is neither, it can only qualify as a religion…

    So, yes, the great majority of discussions at TSZ have been about religion vs religion and some on ID inference…

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