Scout mindset = aiming to see things as they are, not as you wish they were. I've admired Julia Galef's way of engaging online for a long time so I was interested to read her entry in the genre. It has plenty of good reminders and some neat practical tips. A couple that come to mind - hold your identity lightly, and try the ideological Turing test (describing opposing arguments in a way that its adherents or maybe neutral observers can't tell that you disagree with them).
