I like your analysis before the "--".

Ok. I thought about my post on a walk earlier and realized that it is flimsy after the '--'. a vs. b is the important part.

civility and articulateness are instrumental in achieving a goal beyond the scope of the immediate calculation

A community where posts are forced to meet a certain treshold of civility and articulateness, and if they don't, ignored even when correct and the poster punished. But above the treshold only correctness matters... Maybe such a community does produce more truth than a free-for-all.

... p = 1 can be easily dominated by other concerns

But all this means potential bias: making "other concerns"-excuses to ignore arguments you don't like.

p is insufficient for the representation you are aiming for. Consider adding a direct weighting.

Culminating in the expected utility formula of posting? Interesting, but not worth the effort for me.

This is a post ... It is ... inarticulate.

It does confuse me in parts.