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>Other thoughts about the details come to mind, but first I’d like to know what you all think of the basic idea of a new category.

A new category for fundamental topic discussions where you will have exactly the same outcome as if you did it in one of the existing categories? I don't see the point in that.

Even if you state that this category is only for "high quality" discussions where the participants should be comitted to lenghty arguments and counterarguments there is no way to assure participants that other people will follow that rule. Not unless you make it into some sort of membership circle where rule-breakers get booted. This can probably be named the "HQDUTM" level for "High Quality Discussions Universal Thread Membership". :)

Any of these lenghty discussions get tiresome pretty quick when you start going around in circles asking for an answer to the same basic question. That might be one reason why other people don't follow through with these or any other type of discussion. If you don't agree better to agree to disagree and move on.

So in summary, I don't see the point. You will most likely have more of the same in this proposed new category.

Cheers,