| | I wrote this article as exactly what it's titled...principles of an Objectivist forum. They were supposed to be generic principles that could apply to any Objectivist forum. And wanting to explain it in principles instead of rules (how are the rules to be interpreted, after all), I basically explained the motivations and values gained from any particular principle.
It wasn't meant to be an exhaustive list. There's certainly other considerations, but it does a good job of hitting the main ones. But since this forum is part of a larger organization, SOLO, there are other considerations as well.
For instance, SOLO is an organization that relies heavily on volunteer labor. It means many people contribute to SOLO in various ways. There are also people who don't contribute, and instead detract from the site. And a range in between. So when we're making the value trade-offs in our decisions, this is something that weighs heavily on our minds. This is why Sumit Aurora, when he hopped on and attacked Jennifer (ends up it was supposed to be a joke), was given a quick dismissal. Whereas when Orion Reasoner went insane the first time, Lindsay bent over backwards to try to give him the benefit of the doubt.
This idea of favoring those who actually benefit SOLO has been called a double standard elsewhere, but that assumes a rule-mentality. In a principle-mentality, the goal is to identify and pursue the highest values. In practice, it means unequal treatment because the people are unequal of value. We're going to be more lenient towards those who have contributed a lot, and we're going to be less tolerant of people who damage the organization (intentionally or not).
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