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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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Notes -
@beej67 — "I have, however, seen behavior which I consider to be fear driven, and typical of that of an expert challenged." AKA the "Popcorn gonna pop" post. His TL;DR argument is that expertise is often tainted by experts' desire to defend their reputation when their analysis fails.
Hopefully he start posting again if the muse strikes him.
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