Versions of this invitation cross-posted (and will be cross-posted) at a few other blogs. Please do take a look at the below invitation-we’ll stick around and see if there are any comments, questions, or suggestions! Thanks.

One of the most frustrating things about the current political and media environment is of course the way that reasoned, logical, evidence-based debate (about anything) seems to have been completed replaced by spin and blind repetition of talking points. People of all political leanings feel that others don’t confront arguments or employ reason (and of course in some cases it’s true).

– What if there were a platform where ignoring arguments against one’s perspective wasn’t possible, where people could make their case but also be forced to directly answer the opposing side?

– What if there were a way communities could explore issues in a highly systematic, yet fun and reader-friendly, way?

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Now there’s a platform that can do all this and more: Cruxlux. We wanted to accomplish something great for the blogosphere and we’d like to cordially invite you all to try out the tool (either at cruxlux.com or in your own blogs—more on that at the bottom). It’s for you.

Cruxlux is a powerful platform for online debates. Its intuitive format shows supports and counterarguments to any assertion (and supports/counterarguments to those, etc.), neatly decomposing an issue and exposing the facts or values on which differing camps diverge. The credibility and scoring systems move top arguments up and prevent one side from sabotaging another. The ultimate result is a comprehensive but concise resource that captures all sides of the issue and is there for all to see.

Cruxlux allows one to invite allies to explore an issue, or to issue challenges to other members, groups, or outside bloggers/organizations. (If someone’s not willing to back up their views on truly neutral turf—or at least have any supporters willing to do so—that says something in itself.) It is perhaps naïve to think that the most close-minded can be convinced, but at the least it will expose exactly where the differences arise, and lay out the issue for the rest of the world, which hopefully can be convinced. This was some of the promise of the blogosphere, but blogs have become segregated (few people care to visit very different blogs—see Calitics and FlashReport) and also cannot automatically put arguments head to head. As neutral turf and with its powerful format/scoring, Cruxlux can allow blogs to overcome those limitations. We think there really will be impact from having an entire debate, with participation from everyone, in a concise form.

How can you use Cruxlux? Well, either you can use it directly at Cruxlux.com or you can embed Cruxlux within your own blog  (for free), enabling you to have intra- or inter-blog debates from within your own site. If you’re interested in this, contact us.

What are the types of issues that you can explore with Cruxlux? As you can see on the site, anything! One big debate was on waterboarding—http://cruxlux.com/debate/397/congress-should-pass-a-new-law-prohibiting-waterboarding—another smaller sample is on the AMT—http://cruxlux.com/debate/504/h-r-3996-temporary-tax-relief-act-of-2007-should-be-pass. Each post has counterarguments to it below it (and so on). Click on the “>” to the left of a post to expose counterarguments. Mouseover “Focus” to see any supports.

We have debates regarding prominent proposed federal legislation and would love to systematically do the same for state bills (we’re California based ourselves).

What are situations where you might want to use Cruxlux? Perhaps you’re discussing with someone in the comments here about a particular piece of legislation or water plan—you could use Cruxlux to explore the pro/con. Or you want to challenge a conservative group (or just a conservative acquaintance) to debate something—go ahead and issue the challenge through Cruxlux and use us as neutral turf. Or just cross post a diary at Cruxlux.com and see various perspectives. We’re also putting together a few organized initiatives right now, including one around the Presidential campaigns (any of you who are actively supporting someone, and are interested in learning more about this, get in touch).

Hope you find Cruxlux a useful tool. And we’re still improving it too (exciting new features coming soon!). Do let us know if you have any questions or suggestions. As mentioned above, we’re happy to help blogs embed, or just come use Cruxlux.com directly. Thanks!