Some members of this list are aware that I am the new moderator,
but for those who do not know it, this is a brief introduction.

Unlike just about everyone else on the list, I do not have any
credentials in the relevant areas of nutrition, physiology,
anthropology, etc.  My Ph.D. is in philosophy, which I teach at
St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.  As far as the
subject-matter of the list is concerned, I am strictly an
auto-didact.  As moderator, my only claim to competence is that I
have some understanding of what is and isn't professional-level
discourse.

The Paleodiet list is intended for professional-level discussion
among researchers, and that is the principle that I shall try to
adhere to as moderator.  This means that the standards are
somewhat more formal than on the many "chat" lists that exist,
and the volume is consequently somewhat lower.  I will normally
not forward informal "from the hip" comments to the list.  I have
nothing against that kind of conversation; it's just not my
understanding of what this list is about.

On the other hand, Paleodiet is not, and cannot be, a
peer-reviewed scholarly journal or a substitute for one.  So it's
somewhere in between a journal and an informal discussion list.
It's a place where researchers can try out ideas and get
feedback.  Messages on Paleodiet will normally be supported by
references to the appropriate scientific literature.  This is how
the list has been run in the past, and this is how I shall
attempt to continue to do it.

So that's my pitch.  I hope it works out.

Todd Moody
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