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ZorbaTHut  1yr ago (text post)   4363 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 04, 2022

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Roll call! Who made it over?

I have no particularly well-known handles on The Motte or SSC. For disclosure's sake, I was banned multiple times and evaded bans multiple times through alternate accounts and IPs whenever I felt the urge to post; that urge was uncommon, with gaps of months and sometimes years, but it did happen.

I am endeavoring to follow the rules here, though I do hope being removed from Reddit's iron clutch will see the mods lighten up a bit and permit a broader range of discourse and perspectives. I have long wanted to make an effortpost justifying political violence, for instance, but never have.

Rather than justification, how about acquiescence?

I wouldn't necessarily advocate for violence against politicians, lawyers, bankers etc. If angry yet capable mob started building guillotines on capital hill I'd like to see where it goes before reflexive condemnation.

”I have long wanted to make an effortpost justifying political violence”

I think this is a very bad idea. It draws harmful unnecessary attention to the site. It’s one of the few things that can directly lead to the site being taken offline and admins investigated. I’m sure the philosophical underpinnings can be clothed in a different topic, for instance an historical overview of political legitimacy with emphasis on how violent actors gained political legitimacy.

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


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If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

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