Joined: May 2002 Posts: 12133 Images: 0 Location: Florida Highscores:145 Thanks: 860 Thanked: 378 times in 300 posts
Gender: Country:
New BookTalk Format: A discussion
Misterpessimistic, aka Nick, has made the suggestion that we read one book every three months, as opposed to our current one book every two months.
Benefits...
less financial cost to members more time to order, read and discuss books less pressure as a result of more time more time for me to get authors as guests less pressure on me to get authors as guests less admin responsibilities easier to remember - "1 book per quarter"
Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 3552 Location: NJ
Thanks: 1 Thanked: 5 times in 5 posts
Gender: Country:
Re: New BookTalk Format: A discussion
I had suggested this to Chris because I simply have not had 1) Time and 2) money to buy books lately. My two jobs are killing me and the holidays and high heating oil prices, amongst other things, are sapping my $$ away.
I thought others may have this crunch feeling too, with work/school and just life getting in the way to digest and spit up a book every two months, over and above any other work, life, reading we want to do.
Please comment people. We desire your input on this.
Mr. P.
The one thing of which I am positive is that there is much of which to be negative - Mr. P.
I came to get down, I came to get down. So get out ya seat and jump around - House of Pain
HEY! Is that a ball in your court? - Mr. P
I came to kick ass and chew Bubble Gum...and I am all out of Bubble Gum - They Live, Roddy Piper
Joined: Oct 2004 Posts: 22
Thanks: 0 Thanked: 0 time in 0 post
Gender:
Re: New BookTalk Format: A discussion
What makes you so special that Chris is going to change a booktalk rule especially for YOU. LOL. I'm just joking with you. Hehe. Actually I like 3 months better because I'm a slow reader.
Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 131
Thanks: 0 Thanked: 0 time in 0 post
Gender:
Re: New BookTalk Format: A discussion
Heh. "Solid poster," eh? It's not the reading alone, it's the apparent need to do independant research on the topic. I do not have the time for that! And, heck - I'm just plain not willing.
I've read some of the selections, but never every word of any of the books. For the first one, I got fed up because it was supposed to be science-based, but the author neglected to offer evidence for his assertions. I seemed to be the only one disturbed by this. Oddly enough, every selection I read after that, except for Carl Sagan's, suffered to some degree from the same problem. What a turn-off!
The folks who post on any particular book generally appear to be pretty knowledgeable about the field. That's not been the case for me, so I can't contribute the kind of post that BookTalk members seem to value most. So - I figure it's better to leave the book discussions to the experts amongst us.
Consequently, switching the number of books per year from 6 to 4 won't make much difference for me.
Joined: May 2002 Posts: 12133 Images: 0 Location: Florida Highscores:145 Thanks: 860 Thanked: 378 times in 300 posts
Gender: Country:
Re: New BookTalk Format: A discussion
It sounds like going with one book every three months is a good idea. Now I have another question. How do you all feel about us creating a forum called MovieTalk for discussing movies?
We could suggest, nominate and then vote on movies in the same fashion as we do our books. There could be some guidelines...
1. We only watch and discuss movies that are either educational, classics, or of the freethinker variety.
If we do every style of movie we might attract the wrong people to this community, and in the long run destroy the intellectual atmosphere. What do you guys think? Or should we not worry about this? Anyone that is causing problems can be warned and then banned. I'm just worried about attracting kids, spammers and nutcases. Should we have a rule about the types of movies we watch?
2. We do one movie every "X," whether it be every three months, or even one movie per month.
I tend to think we could do one movie every month, as movies are a much cheaper investment, in regards to money to rent them and time spent watching them. The MovieTalk forum would really be a casual forum as a sidenote to our book discussions. When we are watching a movie that sounds good to you...watch it. When the selection doesn't interest you...skip it. No big deal. There would be no pressure and we wouldn't be having chats with the movie stars.
3. One chat session for each movie.
Many people will approach these movies very casually, and might appreciate having a casual movie discussion chat as opposed to only being able to discuss the movie in the MovieTalk forum. Typing posts can be cumbersome and intimidating to some people, so having a casual chat where transcripts are NOT recorded is a nice alternative for these individuals. Perhaps we have the MovieTalk chat the 3rd Saturday of every month at 3:00pm eastern? Or something. (This would be if we did one movie per month)
Notes:
We would have a forum for MovieTalk, but I would not create a Movie page. At least not in the beginning. If this catches on we could add a movie page later. I'm sure everyone has seen the Books page on our site.
There would be a permanent link on the Home page to the MovieTalk forum. This way visitors would be made aware of this aspect of the BookTalk community.
Having forums with low post counts makes any community look bad, so we would have one forum for all movie discussions. We would not create a new forum for each new movie, as we do with our books.
With one movie every month, and with every movie in one forum entitled "MovieTalk," this forum should rapidly get quite a few posts.
Members would be welcome to create their own threads about any movie they want to discuss. They can create polls too. Maybe they want to rent a movie that doesn't make it onto a poll, but they want some company. There is no reason a new thread can't be created enticing other members to rent and watch the movie, and then have a discussion.
I think this forum would grow quickly. But I don't want the new forum to add too much to my administrative duties. There is a great deal of behind the scenes stuff I have to do, so anything overly complex will not be possible right now.
I am even open to the idea of having this forum completely unstructered. This might make my life MUCH easier. If we have an unstructered forum then ANY BookTalk member could throw a poll up and try to get people to watch and discuss a movie with them.
An unstructured forum would have no official movie discussion time periods, such as one movie every month. Anyone could make a post and in the subject line put the title of the movie and then start discussing it.
I just think movies might be a fun addition to our community. Any comments? We could even start out with it unstructured, and then if the forum grows we could add in one democratically selected movie to discuss every once in awhile.
Joined: Jun 2003 Posts: 806 Location: NC
Thanks: 0 Thanked: 0 time in 0 post
Gender: Country:
Re: New BookTalk Format: A discussion
I guess my feeling on the subject is best expressed in the sentiment that the people who would be scared off by the term freethinker are people I would not be concerned about having around booktalk anyway. I would guess that if one doesn't join because of the term being present in the logo, it is because one is closed-minded. While the term might turn some people off to joining, and affect quantity, I would think that the logo does attract quality members. Then again, it is only a word. Perhaps the word, freethinker, has no or a very small impact on membership anyway. In that case, whether you keep the old logo or not, it may not really matter! I am certainly no expert on communities and may not share the exact same view of the future of booktalk that everyone else has. Really, Chris, it is your view of the future that you must work towards. I am sure that whatever you decide, it will help you achieve your goals.
Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 26
Thanks: 0 Thanked: 0 time in 0 post
Gender:
some thoughts
I am a little confused - it appears that you think that only atheist or agnostics can be "freethinkers"; the freethinking is one of the things that drew me to join your site - I would probably not joined if I saw the word atheist a lot more or felt that as a theist I could not be a part of any discussion available; As the editor of Newsweek stated on Larry King one night - "It is possible for thinking people to have faith, and people of faith to be thinking people"; there are more of us out there, then you think; I think you should definitely keep in "freethinkers";
A freethinker is one who thinks freely -- one who is prepared to consider any possibility, and who determines which ideas are right or wrong by bringing reason to bear, according to a consistent set of rules such as the scientific method.
One who has rejected authority and dogma, especially in religious thinking, in favor of rational inquiry and speculation.
Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary defines it as:
someone who forms their own opinions and beliefs, especially about religion or politics, rather than just accepting what is officially or commonly believed and taught
somebody who does not accept dogma: somebody who refuses to accept established views or teachings, especially on religion, and forms opinions as a result of independent inquiry
My personal opinion is that a theist cannot be a freethinker. Few atheists would argue with me, but there are some that maintain that a theist that comes to their beliefs through the vehicle of reason is a freethinker. I don't agree.
In my opinion a person that has weighed all the evidence and then concludes that a deity must exist doesn't understand the very basics of critical thinking and reason. With such a liberal definition of freethinker, just about anyone can claim to be one.
When you break it down, the word simply means, one who thinks freely. So a theist that doesn't adhere to religious dogma could technically be a freethinker....I suppose.
But let us examine their actual beliefs. What do they believe in? Is it the Christian God? If so where did this belief come from? Religious dogma. They believe ancient myths because figures of authority crammed it into their heads when they were young and impressionable. It isn't as if they were walking along the beach, as adults, and they came up with the idea of Jesus dying on the cross for their sins. No, this was taught by figures of authority. And freethinkers think freely, and don't just believe.
But you might think you think freely. How so? How do you defend your God beliefs? Where did they come from? Is there anything apparent or evident in nature that points towards a creator? Not a thing.
The only reason you believe is because you believed long before you knew how to reason.
Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 26
Thanks: 0 Thanked: 0 time in 0 post
Gender:
Re: some thoughts
Sorry for the delay in answering your reply - but I quite haven't gotten the knack of navigation of this site and couldn't remember exactly where I had replied to keeping "freethinking".
In defense of my position - you in an essence defended it for me by some of the definitions of the word "freethinking". You make the point that persons that believe in a "higher power" - i.e. a deity cannot be a freethinker. If you will reread the definitions the one main definition is that one doesn't just FREELY accept dogma without questioning the validity of the teaching. While I was raised in the traditional sense of Christianity, I have always not fit the "mold" of the traditional Christian - I never say I am religious, only Spiritual. Most atheist that I have met, where raised Catholic; after studying Catholicism and all the rules/traditions, etc. I somewhat understand why they threw-off all ideas of religion, as they were probably suffocating under all of the weight of guilt and "chains" that a structured religion can put upon a person; I know that 99.9% of the persons that you met that believe in "God" do not want to critically examine their beliefs, but most of these persons don't what to debate or examine anything in their life/world; I am not like that - I want to challenge everything and keep re-challenging; I have a background in science, so I know that science is always a great place to start; I have studied all forms of science, some not as throughly as I will eventually into which I will delve, so I have no problem with evolution, the cosmos, chaos/randomness, etc.
Yes, of course, I have certain beliefs that cannot be explained with in a scientific/mathematical explanation - at least not at the present time; but as history has shown, the great thinkers/scientists of the past, first began with a hypothesis which can be simplified by a belief/idea - but can it be said that they had "faith in the belief"? I like to think it was just that - a faith that what they thought was true and they set out to make it a theorem;
I like to think by challenging instead of blinding accepting or being blindly led (as I will admit most people at some time in their life - look at the last presidential election), that I could still be considered a "freethinker" even though I still believe in God because I don't freely accept all dogmatic teachings without critically examining in my own mind all sides of the teaching.
I think that if you give me an opportunity to participate in some intellectual discussions with this community, we can help understand each others philosophy; I just want to gain knowledge of all different view points.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
Love to talk about books but don't have time for our book discussion forums? For casual book talk join us on Facebook.
Support BookTalk.org
BookTalk.org is being upgraded to a totally new design. This upgrade is expensive. Any support would be VERY helpful! See who supports us.
Make a donation
PEOPLE PAYING FOR OUR UPGRADE:
• afv - $10 May
• LevV - $50 March
• Dexter - $10 March
• supernova38 - $25 March
• Oblivion - $20 March
• jheimlich - $20 February
• Robert Tulip - $50 February
• giselle - $50 January
Children here need worming
regularly, and I think I
need to buy more worming
tablets, so while my friends
sit on the beach, I have to
catch bush taxis up to the… more
The children have a long way
to walk to the nearest primary
school. At the moment they are
in temporary accommodation,
with volunteer teachers. There
is community land available,
a… more
The price of The 12th Disciple
has been updated to $3.99 for
Kindle readers. The book is
still available for free to
borrow for Amazon Prime
members. To be
competitive, and s… more
The 12th Disciple has been
reviewed by two different
people on Amazon. They
purchased the Kindle edition;
one in the US, one in the
UK. One review was
5-stars (US) and the oth… more
I'd like to say I've
been reading Harry Potter
since the day the world renown
series appeared on the
scene. Unfortunately,
the truth is I began reading
Harry Potter… more
Easter teaches many of us the
importance of redemption and
resurrection. Regardless of
what faith people follow, the
story of Jesus Christ has been
told in many languages in many
c… more
Our Book Talk will begin on
Wednesday, May 2nd. I look
forward to hearing about your
learning and classroom
experiences with Number Talks
as it all unfolds...
NONOPPOSITIONAL NONVIOLENCE
“The minute you conquer the
fear of death, at that moment
you are free. I submit to you
that if a man hasnÂ’t
discovered something that he
will die f… more
Yesterday, when I went to feed
Jeni the donkey, I noticed
swarms of bees entering
EbrimaÂ’s house through the
cracks in the door. We both
had a look, but he didnÂ’t
open his door… more
Whether you want to implement
number talks but are unsure of
how to begin or have
experience but want more
guidance in crafting
purposeful problems, this
dynamic multimedia resourc… more
Do you feel entitled? For
years I have listened to and,
in some instances, complained
that some people in America
feel entitled. For years I
have watched as these people
are portra… more
On Fat Tuesday and Ash
Wednesday of 2012, The 12th
Disciple was free to Kindle
users on both days. In all,
about 550 worldwide Kindle
users downloaded a copy of the
book.
‘Sacred Are the Brave’ a
collection of short stories
about the nonviolent
revolutions 1986-1989 is now
available in Kindle. Each of
the nine stories has
characters who are just
… more
The Weekend TrippersÂ’ is the
true story of Rfn Ted Taylor
and his part in the heroic
last stand in Calais May 1940.
The Weekend Trippers is based
on TedÂ’s diaries written at
the… more
Tell your friends when to meet you in the BookTalk.org Chat Room.
If you enjoy business bestsellers and would like to expand your business knowledge check out the quality book summaries offered by the world's leading book summary company.
BookTalk.org is a free book discussion group or online reading group or book club. We read and talk about both fiction and non-fiction books as a group. We host live author chats where booktalk members can interact with and interview authors. We give away free books to our members in book giveaway contests. Our booktalks are open to everybody who enjoys talking about books. Our book forums include book reviews, author interviews and book resources for readers and book lovers. Discussing books is our passion. We're a literature forum, or reading forum. Register a free book club account today! Suggest nonfiction and fiction books. Authors and publishers are welcome to advertise their books or ask for an author chat or author interview.
Tweet This Topic
The folks who post on any particular book generally appear to be pretty knowledgeable about the field. That's not been the case for me, so I can't contribute the kind of post that BookTalk members seem to value most. So - I figure it's better to leave the book discussions to the experts amongst us.
