site banner
PaperclipPerfector  10mo ago (text post)   2920 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for August 2, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

1
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

I will leave for Chiang Mai this Monday instead of last Sunday since my co-founder fell sick. I am still a ball of anxiety and feel that I am room temperature IQ, but it is what it is. I will carry some books and watch PCB design lectures on the flight.

My Sunday was spent in Delhi. One of my relative’s wives has stage 4 cancer, and it was heartbreaking to see her condition and how her family felt. The economic impacts are very severe too. I was there for about 10 hours, spent some time in the hospital, and then with a friend.

Recently, I saw some videos on the YouTube channel Academy of Ideas. I want to try a meditation retreat or live alone without social interactions or texting, as Carl Jung did for a few days in Bollingen Tower. Being on screens and constantly communicating with people is very draining. I mostly use social media for sex and fear of missing out, but I honestly think I would find a retreat fun.

On a positive note, I read a post by Scott Alexander about ADHD. It turns out my issues are real, and many find help in methamphetamines, with Desoxyn being the name of the pill.

I also watched the fights last weekend. Allen and Aspinall are great talents.

Vipassana has 'pay it forward' 'free' 10 day meditation retreats around the world. I've been on a couple in my life and found them very rewarding. You basically vow to follow Buddhist precepts for the retreat including: Vow of silence, no eye contact, vegan diet, harm no-one (try not to step on ants etc), and living to a regimented schedule of meditation, eating, sleeping. I found it very rewarding and definitely noticed how the modern lifestyle impacts you after resetting myself back to lifestyle homeostasis.

Yeah, I feel better today. I should start meditating daily. Dont think I can for a retreat for the next few months but this si something I would love!

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.


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.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats