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PaperclipPerfector  9mo ago (text post)   1601 thread views

Transnational Thursday for August 29, 2024

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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A lot of people here at The Motte seem to be pro russian, why?

Large part seems being contrarian for sake of being contrarian and then building justification on top of that.

Or assuming that entire reality is opposite to what broadly defined left claims.

Also, isolationism.

Also, isolationism.

Hell, I wouldn’t even mind if those posters actually argued that they want US isolationism. At least that’s a position that can be argued. Instead it’s almost always ”the west shouldn’t” as if ”the west” meant only the US.

I'm not American; I think other countries should also mind their own.

Then you should have no problem saying ”I think [insert your country here] should…”

And of course for many countries in the west, supporting Ukrane is by far the least costly way to stave off Russian agression aimed directly at them.

I think Canada should stay out of foreign wars? Sure -- I do also have opinions on what the US should do since we tend to get dragged along, I think that is legitimate?

I don't care what Europe does, although I have roughly the same sympathy level for the EU as an organization as I do Russia -- this is not because I'm pro-Russia; I am anti-EU.

Why are you anti-EU?

They are anti-freedom and want to homogenize the cultures of a bunch of countries I care about -- the former is also true of Russia, and enough in and of itself to make me anti-{x}; the latter is strike two and means I'm maybe even a little more anti-EU than anti-Russia?

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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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