Comments on this blog are now closed. I’m leaving the old comment policy below, in case I decide to open the comments on selected individual entries at a later time.
Think of this blog as the virtual equivalent of my living room. My readers are my guests; it is my priority to maintain a friendly and welcoming space for them. They have a right to expect civil discussion, free of shouting, personal attacks, condescension and mansplaining.
All comments on this site are moderated and will only appear after they are approved. This is not an open forum where everyone is entitled to have their say. I will not approve comments that do not contribute to the conversation, discourage others from participating and make this space uncomfortable for everyone else.
Commenters are expected to know and respect the basics of productive internet discussions. Read the post before you comment. Don’t lecture me (or anyone else) on what I know already, and don’t argue with things I never said. If you would not say something in a face-to-face conversation, it does not belong here. If you keep rehashing arguments I’ve heard too many times already, or make assumptions that would take a disproportionate amount of time and effort to unpack and argue with (e.g. that women are “just” not interested in science), I reserve the right to delete the comment. There has to be some common ground for a productive discussion, and I don’t have the time to go back to square one over and over again.
I’m all for free speech. If you post your comments elsewhere, or start your own blog, I won’t even try to stop you. But I’m responsible for this space, and you are not entitled by default to a share of it.
Legitimate comments get trapped in the spam filter sometimes by mistake. If you believe that this has happened to your comment, please let me know and I will try to fish it out.
