Sole: could the direction of this shift into a subforum of CI that is either a debate forum (the one in AI back in LWS had pretty good activity, IIRC), or perhaps an archive of the threads that have solid, quality content? Not so much a BOTB, but threads like this genetic disposition one going on in CI are ones with some real value to them. So let the inane, banal threads melt away and die, and cull from them the threads that contain valuable content?

With it as a subforum of CI, the postcount won't change, and the quality that CI can produce is readily accessible, even and especially to potential new posters.

edit: I don't know too much about forum growth or maintenance, but I still think it makes sense to divide above-average threads from the rest, and plant them obviously in the flagship forum.