[Ethos_ (OP)]

Should NSF create a separate category for philosophy and religion?

 If this forum had a place where these unscientific subjects could be dumped, we wouldn't have to constantly put up with them bleeding over into scientific categories. If any one wants to discuss these topics, allow them to go there. If they attempt to infiltrate other categories, they could be summarily and expeditiously moved.

[David Cooper]

A philosophy and/or religion subforum could generate an awful lot of extra pointless waffle and attract a high tonnage of new fruitcakes here who would inevitably leak over into other parts of the site. Probably best to leave things as they are.

[cheryl j]

The problem is I don't people agree what is relevant to science or might be empirically provable in the future, and some of these questions will end up in the science topics anyway. 

[alancalverd]

Possibly a good idea to let the crackpots rave in their own asylum, and I promise never to visit it unless specifically invited.

They can be let out when their hypothesis has explained everything that was explained by the previous hypothesis, plus something that wasn't previously explained, and/or predicted something that turned out to be true but wasn't predictable under the previous hypothesis.

This procedure is called science. 

[Ethos_ (OP)]

Possibly a good idea to let the crackpots rave in their own asylum, and I promise never to visit it unless specifically invited.

They can be let out when their hypothesis has explained everything that was explained by the previous hypothesis, plus something that wasn't previously explained, and/or predicted something that turned out to be true but wasn't predictable under the previous hypothesis.

This procedure is called science.

Thank you Alan,..................And the argument that we have to deal with them anyway is without necessity. Moderators could direct them to that forum where their unscientific comments might receive consideration. Until we structure this forum with that provision, we'll have to continually deal with the likes of those who want to push these agendas. Waste of bandwidth!