I spoke with him on my first days here on ssc in 2019 jan where I was depressed af as I was giving the most important exams of my life, college. Really nice guy, thanks for the upload op.
I first came across across Trace by reading his "Tracing Woodgrains: A parable on losing faith" post on /r/exmormon. I was the typical /r/atheism convert during my early 20's and had read/watched just about every inspirational, thought provoking, quotable thing the internet had generated in regards to losing ones faith. But Trace's summary of the Xenocide girl brought me to tears. As well as his follow up to how it compared to his own faith journey. I have read out loud or shared that post to many family members and friends as it genuinely changed the way I frame belief and unbelief. Since then he oddly kept showing up in the places I frequent. I was surprised when I saw his posts on /r/theMotte and even more surprised when the above discussed podcast I listen to said he was being added to the team. I never scroll past a thing he has written and look forward to any future paths he takes.
@TracingWoodgrains I admire the courage it takes to put yourself out there. Godspeed brother. That said, you'll always be TracingWoodgrains (or at least Trace) in my heart, because I still admire your respect for the best bit of writing Orson Scott Card ever did. You, sir, are a man of culture.
That name will always be a part of me. I don’t intend to switch to name/face posting on twitter, brief gags aside. I like the vibes of pseudonymity even when identity is known. I’ll probably treat it similarly to Darryl Cooper / MartyrMade. And thanks!
Nah. So far as I’m aware it would have been prohibitively difficult to doxx me given the paucity of info about me online. I didn’t work too hard to hide my identity, all things considered, but no potential doxx was anywhere near my radar.
Walterodim
Only equals speak the truth, that’s my thought on’t
29d ago
B&R is the only podcast I actually pay for and I'm grateful for the work the hosts and researchers put in. Thanks @TracingWoodgrains and best wishes in all your future endeavors.
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.
New post guidelines
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.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
Why removed?
More options
Context Copy link
I spoke with him on my first days here on ssc in 2019 jan where I was depressed af as I was giving the most important exams of my life, college. Really nice guy, thanks for the upload op.
More options
Context Copy link
I first came across across Trace by reading his "Tracing Woodgrains: A parable on losing faith" post on /r/exmormon. I was the typical /r/atheism convert during my early 20's and had read/watched just about every inspirational, thought provoking, quotable thing the internet had generated in regards to losing ones faith. But Trace's summary of the Xenocide girl brought me to tears. As well as his follow up to how it compared to his own faith journey. I have read out loud or shared that post to many family members and friends as it genuinely changed the way I frame belief and unbelief. Since then he oddly kept showing up in the places I frequent. I was surprised when I saw his posts on /r/theMotte and even more surprised when the above discussed podcast I listen to said he was being added to the team. I never scroll past a thing he has written and look forward to any future paths he takes.
More options
Context Copy link
@TracingWoodgrains I admire the courage it takes to put yourself out there. Godspeed brother. That said, you'll always be TracingWoodgrains (or at least Trace) in my heart, because I still admire your respect for the best bit of writing Orson Scott Card ever did. You, sir, are a man of culture.
That name will always be a part of me. I don’t intend to switch to name/face posting on twitter, brief gags aside. I like the vibes of pseudonymity even when identity is known. I’ll probably treat it similarly to Darryl Cooper / MartyrMade. And thanks!
Are you doing this to get in front of a hostile doxxing from a certain notoriously vindictive group you've upset?
Nah. So far as I’m aware it would have been prohibitively difficult to doxx me given the paucity of info about me online. I didn’t work too hard to hide my identity, all things considered, but no potential doxx was anywhere near my radar.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
B&R is the only podcast I actually pay for and I'm grateful for the work the hosts and researchers put in. Thanks @TracingWoodgrains and best wishes in all your future endeavors.
I appreciate the kind words. Looking forward to much more similar work moving forward.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
Very kind of you—I appreciate it.
I enjoy the podcast from time to time and always like the weird and interesting stories you research and discuss, here and elsewhere. Thanks!
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link