Origin of this idea

When I was young, my parents taught me that when I wanted to make a decision, I should make a list of reasons to agree or disagree with an idea. With the internet we could organize all of the list that anyone has ever made, on any subject, onto one website.

I believe that I arrived at the ideas for this website partly because I want people to pay as much attention to what they believe, as the do the stock market. Also I have seen the power of the concept of investing in ideas.

For example, its easy to believe in something, but it takes it to another level when you are willing to bet or risk some money on that idea. For me, the stock market, and the stock market of ideas, is a test of how much someone believes in a certain idea.

I think this website can promote scientific advancement can help general dispute resolution, and politics. It would be great if we could get people to invest in ideas! People have no incentives to believe “smart” things right now. I think that the people who came up with your website saw the need for people to believe smarter things.

It would be great if people had an economic motivation to invest in smart ideas. My web site starts form the concept that people don’t often think about WHY they believe different things.

I would like to create algorithms that give an ideas a weighted rank, much like google gives web pages ranks. In fact the create formulas 1. Number of reasons to agree or disagree with it. 2. Certainty of the bettor (or evaluator) of the validity of his reason for disagreeing with it. I was not advocating that we should just bet on popularity alone at all… Much like the stock market, there are places where you can buy stock. Most of these places also offer “research” information. All I am suggesting is that you add this research information. This information would come in data that supports or discounts the position being held. I read on the website where some one suggested that this service could be manipulated buy people with money. For instance, if government policy was going to take into account the standing of a particular idea. In this scenario it was suggested that an energy company could invest in a negative position on the viability of alternative energy methods… I believe that my idea addresses this issue. If you allowed for your website to became a place for information research, and not just idea trading this could be addressed. For instance if you go to my lame website at:

http://www.geocities.com/mclaub/Mike/Debate/MyProposal/Example/architecture.htm it shows that categories that I would allow people to submit ideas to. Before you agree totally with me that my web site sucks, look around this address first. http://www.geocities.com/mclaub/Mike/Debate/MyProposal/online_debate.htm Please tell me what you think! Thanks again for the e-mail.