# How to prevent an omnibus free will topic? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 7, 2021, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-an-omnibus-free-will-topic/955599 "2021-12-07T00:36:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-an-omnibus-free-will-topic/955599/1 "2021-12-07T00:36:44Z")
It _may_ be too late already. The most significant rule change promulgated by the late **Jonathan\_Chance** reads, > [@New Rules for Great Debates and Elections – January 2020](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-rules-for-great-debates-and-elections-january-2020/845726/1): > > **Hijacks.** This is, perhaps, the single largest and most important change to the rules in Great Debates and Politics and Elections made in 2020. Staying on topic is a strong goal of Great Debates and Politics and Elections moving forward. Threads exist for a reason. Presumably, the original poster wants to discuss a specific topic. Posts which pull the thread away from that topic are hijacks. Some of these are inadvertent, some are not. Posts that seem intended to steer a discussion away from the original topic may be sanctioned. Hijacks may be, but are not limited to, posts that lead away from a topic, endless questioning, repeatedly asking the same or similar questions once they’ve been answered, and other maneuvers. Whether or not such is occurring is at the sole discretion of the moderation staff and may lead to official sanction. > > […] > > **Type of threads appropriate for Great Debates and Elections** > > **Keep threads specific and debatable.** No wide omnibus threads. We want to see clear, specific topics and thread titles. Large omnibus threads are actively detrimental to the long-term success of the boards. A thread entitled, “Tax Policy” is too broad. One entitled, “Should a National Sales Tax be enacted” is better. Keep it clear and specific. This also requires participants in the thread to remain on specific topics as well. In the Great Debates category, we have a current topic titled “[Lack of Freewill doesn’t mean lack of choice](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lack-of-freewill-doesnt-mean-lack-of-choice/954128)”. The original prompt was written by a new member, presumably to discuss his or her specific thesis. They made eight posts within a couple hours and haven’t been seen since. That was November 10. Somewhere within the space of a month we have had roughly 100 posts that seem to share nothing with the original topic except mentioning the concept of free will. It is a wonderful debate that I enjoy following, and the last thing I want to do is stifle it. But! The original topic, at least by my reading, was about whether a _lack_ of free will implies a lack of choice. Many tangents have sprung up, which make the current topic harder to follow since we don’t have threaded mode on Discourse. - What is free will / is free will a coherent concept? - Does free will exist / Is free will an illusion? - Is it possible to understand how the human brain works, in detail? - Is free will compatible with determinism? - If free will is incoherent, are ethics and morals incoherent? - If free will is compatible with determinism, can free will exist in a deterministic/fatalistic simulation? Then there’s the spirit of the rules, is it possible for one topic to contain all of these tangents and still be in compliance? * * * So how should the mods approach this topic? Or should they approach it at all? ~Max ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-an-omnibus-free-will-topic/955599/2 "2021-12-07T02:21:37Z")
Why bring it up at all? The thread was fine and causing no problems. The rules are not being enforced by a computer but a handful of humans. If it is not causing issues we would probably never look at the thread. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-an-omnibus-free-will-topic/955599/3 "2021-12-07T03:05:47Z")
If cited for violation, one could always say the overall context in which we operate caused the post to occur, and that as such the member who so posted had no free will in the matter? °° angelic smilie °° ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-an-omnibus-free-will-topic/955599/4 "2021-12-07T10:56:49Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > If cited for violation, one could always say the overall context in which we operate caused the post to occur, and that as such the member who so posted had no free will in the matter? > > °° angelic smilie °° Well, sure; but couldn’t a mod who cracks down on such a post say the same? °° angelic smilie °°