I was just reading a thread on social media about COVID, masking, etc. Some of the messages were from people who believe this should only be about science, and yet the messages turned into personal attacks, accusing the other side of being selfish and willfully ignorant.
It used to be that we keep comments like this to ourselves, except for people we truly hate and want to pick a fight with. May I humbly suggest that we go back to that tradition, even for online discussions.
If I want to make an argument about facts and reason, then it should be possible to do so without any comment whatsoever about the person I am talking to. In Science, we do not make ad hominem attacks nor arguments from authority.
Yes, it’s frustrating to be in an environment where people can construct their own bubble of “facts” and feel like everything is about identity. That will only change by good example. Let’s save civilization, one civil discussion at at time!