To me you have to define the IDW as much by what by what it isn't than what it is.

It isn't a safe space. You must be prepared to defend your ideas.
It isn't self-righteous.
It isn't interested in trolling but, it's not interested in political correctness either.
It isn't angry.
It isn't judgmental.
It does not require adherence to any particular dogma.
It does not judge the individual by any group they are part of like black, white, Asian, gay, straight, trans, etc.

It is or at least aspires to be intelligent.
It cares about individual freedom and the responsibility that goes with it.
It discusses any view from multiple perspectives.
It goes where the data leads rather than where people want it to lead.
It is curious about points of view and it will question them to get better understanding.
It seeks truth through debate.
It is respectful.
It empowers the individual rather than any group they are in.

That's what came to mind with a few minutes thinking. I'm sure it's an incomplete list. Like any human endeavor, it doesn't always live up to it's ideals. Maybe I should have put that in the list somewhere.

Any additions or discussion of any my list entries are welcome.

Agreed. We should be questioning our own assumptions more if we want to live up to the ideals of the IDW.

We definitely need more 'left leaning perspectives. I think that would add significantly to the experience. Having said that, even some back and forth here on the finer points is significantly more interesting than arguing with morons on Facebook.

To me the IDW is a place where you can discuss all ideas without being put in a catagory. And is a great opportunity to maybe change your mind. There has been an influx of people that follow the echo chamber, but they seem to be ignored or brilliantly put in their place by some of the geniuses on this site. That being said, I still have to wade through posts to find the ones that are worth discussing

The ideal is that this community represents a large number of different perspectives and the glue that holds the whole thing together is the desire for civil discourse. I would hope that "we" meaning everyone in the community is not just right leaning or left leaning but forms a diverse set of conflicting ideals that manage to behave in a cohesive manner.

I love all the post if you don't try to learn from everyone you might have missed something important.

It appears to be slowly forming into an echo chamber along with conspiracy theories. All in all though I still enjoy this site, I simply ignore the conspiracy posts.