The year is half over in two hours, so it's an appropriate time to implement a new letters policy. Lately, I've been getting letters with requests not to publish the authors' names—with the clear implication that they would like the letters published. No newspaper I've ever read would publish an anonymous letter. There's a good reason for this. People should take responsibility for their views. It's a form of discipline. If you know that others will know who you are, you will take greater care to (1) not contradict yourself, (2) get your facts right, and (3) be fair to those with whom you disagree. Nobody wants to be seen as stupid, uninformed, or unfair.
Those of us who blog—at least those of us who blog openly, with our names prominently displayed—stick our necks out every day. Very few of my blog posts are polished pieces. Most are the scholarly equivalent of first or second drafts. But that's okay; nobody would apply scholarly standards to a blog. It wouldn't be fair. This doesn't mean my blog isn't philosophical; it means it's philosophy in process, taking shape in public, risking error and embarrassment. I enjoy this. I'm brave and brash. If you're not as brave or brash as I am; if you're not willing to submit your letters to the scrutiny of strangers; if you're not confident enough in your analytical or critical abilities to take the chance of being wrong, then don't send mail to me.
As of tomorrow morning, the new letters policy will be as follows: I publish letters from readers only if (1) the reader gives me permission to do so and (2) the reader's name and town (with state or province if it's not clear) appear at the end of the letter, as posted. These are individually necessary conditions, not jointly sufficient conditions. I still decide, in other words, which letters to publish, of those that satisfy these conditions. Be forewarned: If I don't see your name and town on your letter, I may not even read it, in which case you will have wasted your time writing and sending it. Be brave. Be honest. Take responsibility for what you say, as I do every day.