Some subtle bias/problems in forum discussions/articles
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peace all,
As many of you are aware I have been a member of this forum for a long time and I have read many forum discussions and articles. In doing so, I have noticed some bias/problems that occur on a regular basis that may not be obvious to some so I thought I'd highlight them here.
Bias is not exclusive to this forum of course, it is everywhere.
Nearly all will not reference key information in their articles/discussions/points, so you can verify what they have said. For example, if they wish to convince you verse 'A' or word 'B' or concept 'C' means 'whatever' they will often present Classical Arabic meanings or occurrences or other evidence to support their view and fail to mention others, particularly those causing problems for their view. This is almost a daily occurrence. Basically, if someone doesn't give you the info to verify what they said, then take it with a pinch of salt and consider what they said only as a possibility.
Those who have a better understanding of Arabic may sometimes use this to their advantage (conciously or subconciously) to misrepresent information to those with less understanding of Arabic, giving weight to their view rather than yours. Not so common thankfully, but no harm in being aware of it.
Very few, if any, will list possible weaknesses in their articles/discussions/points, even if they are small. Most things are not black or white, so acknowledging grey areas should be encouraged. Of course, they may not have thought of them.
If there is no response to a view posted in the forum, this does not mean it must be correct because no one has questioned or disagreed with it!
Lastly, I would like to point out that I, like everyone else, am not immune to bias. Hopefully, highlighting it here will also help to keep me in check.
Further reading
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=12354.0
http//www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/ -
in addition to what wakas said, another thing to watch out for is
A puts foward a view.
B makes a point in support of that view.
However in this case B's point is flawed.
A keeps quiet and decideds to profit of B's ignorance.I know that A knows that B is wrong since he has displayed his mastery of topic
else where ... but A keeps quiet.If there is no response to a post it means there is no good fight to be had from that post.
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in addition to what wakas said, another thing to watch out for is
A puts foward a view.
B makes a point in support of that view.
However in this case B's point is flawed.
A keeps quiet and decideds to profit of B's ignorance.I know that A knows that B is wrong since he has displayed his mastery of topic
else where ... but A keeps quiet.If there is no response to a post it means there is no good fight to be had from that post.
I think its just that each one has good points but not enough for the KO punch. Its something i noticed here is that its very hard to find a complete answer since we really don't have one. Whether its haj, ramadan or anything else, we can't go beyond what we FEEL is correct because we just don't have the absolute answer. The Koran can be elusive and some of us got used to having answers with details and suppliments. Or we got used to differences that can be categorized, such as according to the Malikis so and so, and the hanafis some said so and other so and the Hanbalis believed so but no so. We then come here and realize we don't have that luxury. Whats important is we appreciate the wisdom of flexibility in the Koran and see it as an advantage and not a curse. This is very diificult to do.
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I also notice some heavy anti-Arab bias from certain members. LOL
Good points Wakas. I hope when I make mistakes someone will correct me.
Because the Ummayads and Abbassids were Arabs. I am also bias against Arabs,but not all Arabs. I don't like their mentality. The majority and not all. They are the most anti Quranist you will find.
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Peace
Bro BigMo Muhammed was a arab. Quran's in arabic. I also notice alot of sunni bias on the forum. The idea is if sunnis belive it, it's wrong. And very little knowledge of sunnism is
to found yet it is still criticed. I am not a sunni. I am Quran only. But I still get angre when people who do not understand sunnism critise it. A good example would be this
http//free-minds.org/articles/science/WhichQuran.pdf. If you want to know what is wrong with the article you can ask me. But still this site and this forum are both awesome.
This site helped me clear my mind of false ideas like hadiths.
Lareb
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i'm biased against everything and everyone!
High Five for Hate!
http//i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa185/Blankman-6/Borat_High_Five_Red_Shirt.jpg
