Discussion policy
Comments on analytical posts are open to paying subscribers. Reading is open to everyone. This page describes what gets posted, what gets removed, and what to expect from the analyst.
What's welcome
- Disagreement, with reasoning. Citations are not required, but a claim with a source is more useful than a claim without one.
- Questions, especially about evidence, theory choice, or implication.
- Counter-examples. "This piece would not survive scenario X" is one of the most valuable things you can post.
- Connections to other posts, to historical episodes, or to outside work.
What gets removed
- Slurs.
- Disqualification by identity — "typical <group>", "of course a <group> would say that". The argument has to attack the argument.
- Bad-faith openers — "do your own research", "wake up sheeple", "shill for …", "bot account". These end a conversation rather than starting one.
- Bare links with no accompanying text. Tell us what we're meant to take from it.
- Spam, off-topic promotion, repeated posting.
How moderation works
Automated rules check rate limits and keywords before a comment lands. False positives are tolerated — the analyst can flip a removed comment back to visible. Removed comments leave a tombstone ("[Comment removed under the discussion policy.]") so the thread keeps its shape.
What to expect from the analyst
Nathan reads the thread. Substantive top-level comments will usually get a response within 48 hours; replies-to-replies often won't. The promise is selective engagement, not a reply to every comment.
Editing and deleting
You can edit your own comment for 10 minutes after posting. After that it's locked. You can delete your own comment at any time — it will show as removed in the thread.
Account export and deletion
From your account page you can export everything we hold on you as JSON, or hard-delete your account. Account deletion redacts your comments in place (the thread structure survives, your text doesn't).