About

Hey there, welcome to our community. I’m not sure how you got here, but I’m glad you decided to visit. Let me tell you a little about what this is, and what we do here.
Return to Reason started as a podcast driven by the idea that somehow, somewhere, we’d gone off the rails in our public discourse. Whether due to social media, perverse incentives in the mainstream news networks, cultural decline, or prosperity-driven boredom, we’ve stopped debating ideas and efficacy. Instead, we’re taught that ad hominem and false dichotomies based on subjective morality are how things should be decided. Whoever makes the best argument for why their ideological opponents are immoral ends up the perceived winner in battles of ideas- at the expense of ideas themselves.
My fears are rooted in whatever the outcome of this unsustainable divisiveness will bring upon us. My goal is to bring common humanity and respect back to our public discourse, healing the ever-growing divide in our society. My message is to encourage others to do the same, and my hope is that they will.
If you’re here, hopefully you share this goal of figuring out how things ended up like this, and what we can do to change it for the better.
The rules are simple:
1) Don’t be a dick.
2) Since you’re human, and you might sometimes be a dick on accident, do your best to make it right, whatever that looks like.
3) Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.”
4) If you’re in a disagreement with someone, do be more interested in your own goals with the conversation than the person with whom you’re disagreeing. If you’re just trying to dunk on them, or just prove them wrong, you’re probably being a dick, and should refer to Rule 2.
5) If you reach an impasse in disagreements, don’t be afraid to be the one who says “let’s agree to disagree, and maybe revisit it later.” Do check where you stand with Rule 4 if that feels difficult.
6) Do practice curiosity. Ask questions. Dream. Kick around ideas. It’s all good. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. We’re here to sharpen each other.
7) When in doubt, drop a Big Lebowski reference.

Community Guidelines

Please respect the following community guidelines to maintain an enjoyable environment:

• Keep conversation respectful, without personal attacks
• Don’t blow up other members’ feeds. If someone isn’t responding to you, let it be
• No pornography
• Keep out behavior that could be seen as trolling/spamming
• Relax, be yourself, and enjoy