What is the H2G2 Speaker's Corner?
Lots of researchers have strong views on a great number of subjects, and the ability to express those views in an eloquent and persuasive manner. However, the edited section of the guide requires entries that are neutral, dispassionate and impersonal, and it's very difficult to write in this way on something that you feel strongly about! A number of entries that have been submitted for Peer Review have not been selected for these reasons.
The Ask the H2G2 Community
section regularly has interesting and informative discussions about controversial subjects, but the "conversation thread" format is not always the best medium in which to express complex arguments, and can easily and amusingly drift "off-topic".
Of course, you can always write an entry for the unedited guide, but who's going to find it? It's a jungle out there! This is where the H2G2 Speaker's Corner comes in. You write something, post a link here, and people will (hopefully) read it!
How it Works
Write your entry as usual. Make sure that it's the best argument you can make it!
Start a new conversation at the bottom of this page, with the title of your entry and a link to it. You can do this by simply writing the A123456 number. It's worth putting "Speaker's Corner" or just "SC" in the subject line, so that people who are subscribed to the corner can tell that the conversation is from here when it appears on their conversations list. Just a thought....
Other researchers will follow the link and read your article, and start conversations at the bottom of your entry. These might be in favour of your point of view, perhaps suggesting new information, or ways to make the argument stronger, or arguing for another view.
If you do disagree with what has been written, then you can write a whole entry explaining why, and putting your point of view.
There's also the possibility for collaborations for entries for the edited guide! If two (or more) researchers produce two strong entries detailing the arguments for or against a particular view, they could be combined to give the neutrality needed in edited guide entries. You can either work together, or we can try to find a "referee"!
Things to remember
Please remember that the usual H2G2 site rules apply here as usual. By all means construct the best possible argument you can, but never resort to personal abuse or ridicule another researcher. You can attack the argument, but not its proponent. There now follows a breathtaking bit of self-promotion
More information about strategies in arguments can be found on my edited guide entry entitled How to be a Philosopher.
Home
