“The quality of comments is highest when the matter under consideration involves particular facts and decentralized knowledge. Posts which mention evolution, free will, or Paul Krugman do not generate the highest quality of comments” — here

I wonder, are we better or worse at moderating flame wars and polarization than we were one, two decades/centuries/millenniums ago?

Back in the 1980s I used to amuse people by announcing that I was hoping to light the eternal flame war. A toxic topic hybrid made from breeding copy-protection, gun-control, and abortion together.