>
> One of the intriguing things about Internet
> discussions is how many words are thrown at a topic
> and how little movement occurs. By "movement" I mean
> the modification of your beliefs and opinions
> regarding a particular subject from whatever they are
> to, well, something else.
I disagree with this. People come at these things with core beliefs, especially those who contribute often. For many, these core beliefs are even part of their profession, so it's not reasonable to think that you'll see movement there.
But what forums do is shape arguments, not create or destroy them.
They also expose people to arguments they hadn't considered themselves.
They also help form opinions on now topics.
You have to defend your original opinions or defend your critiques, which can be even more important. And you get to think of things new ways.
For example, I never even considered that there really would be people on the Left who would be supportive in some way of Islamic revolution. It's not that I was persuaded that this was the right thing to do, but I did come to understand, I think, *why* that idea would come about, and that's important. It makes you look at things in new ways.
Political theory is not going to have a lot of QED.