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PaperclipPerfector  5mo ago (text post)   2481 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 3, 2024

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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Do you live in an area where most of the people you meet, work with, and/or live near are ideologically similar to you?

If you do - do you feel like this is better for your life than the alternative?

If you do not - do you wish to eventually? Or do you feel it doesn't matter, or even find that undesirable?

I don't and I physically can't. I'm too contrarian. At uni I became conservative, at a megachurch picnic I'm a bleeding heart liberal. It's in my nature. Even on the same issue, I'll always reflect the anti consensus over time.

But now you're on The Motte, where everybody is too contrarian. If you're finally following the herd here then clearly you're just not metacontrarian enough. Tsk.

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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