People are really complex.
Sometimes people are really stupid, cruel, mean, nasty, petty.
Sometimes people are heroic, productive, logical, innovative.
Most people are mixed.
People will be stupid about one issue and smart about another issue.
Most working people are more productive at work than outside of work.
People are individuals. No one is typical about everything. Everyone has some
"quirks".
Intolerance of unconventional ideas and behaviors can affect everyone. Everyone does/thinks some stuff that many people would punish as deviance.
Presenting as mostly normal usually, but not always, gets people to forgive a few quirks.
In very short online interactions, most ways of presenting as mostly normal don't work. People don't hear that you have a normal accent, don't see you make normal facial expressions, don't see your normal clothes, don't know your location, haven't come to the same physical location as you, and more.
There's social pressures that push people to be polite. Most of them work better in person than online.
Approximately no one is looking to learn philosophy.
People getting philosophy degrees are looking to get philosophy degrees, they aren't looking to actually learn philosophy. They often also want some other things like to join a subculture.
If philosophy degree students cared much about learning philosophy they would read and discuss more philosophers on their own. They'd want to be familiar with more philosophers than their classes focus on. This would be visible at discussion forums for Rand, Popper and others.
If philosophy degree students cared much about learning philosophy, some of them would have substantial success at learning philosophy. This would be visible. There would be more skilled philosophers writing great stuff.
The vast majority of people are very passive.
People don't usually look for much of anything. They usually follow, obey, conform. Most people put a lot of effort into doing what they are "supposed to".
Many people think statements like these (about passivity) don't apply to them. They think to themselves that they are the exception. But most of them aren't exceptions, they're passive too.
Learning philosophy requires initiative, persistence and wanting to.
Learning philosophy requires being willing to think unpopular thoughts and do unconventional actions.
It works way better to see unusual ideas in a neutral or positive way, not as a downside or tradeoff.
Making progress in philosophy has the same requirements mentioned for learning it.
This isn't a complete list of requirements.
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