site banner
PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   2692 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for February 2, 2025

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.

1
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

What do you think of the tariffs? Just kinda curious to get people’s general vibes.

I’m more excited than anything to see what happens as a U.S. citizen. I am not like in a super precarious place financially but I’d imagine it is scary for those who are.

I have yet to see a good justification for how they're supposed to be compatible with fighting inflation. Instead, they look like more of the same "make it so" Trump policymaking that I've been complaining about since 2016, and I expect to see a good dose of leopards eating faces. But maybe that's just me.

I know inflation is just what it’s called when prices get higher, but I don’t understand how all prices get higher just because of a tax. Intuitively there must be someone printing money, or else an increase in dollars spent here would mean fewer dollars spent somewhere else.

In fact I think this is why the Austrian school actually defines inflation as an increase in the money supply. Transfer payments, i.e. taxes, e.g. tariffs, are not inflation.

Right. Not just the Austrians, I think; my high school Econ class was very Keynesian, but I’m pretty sure it used the same definition.

Regardless:

Next, I will direct all members of my cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices.

The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices, and that is why today I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby, drill.

I think tariffs stand in opposition to this layman’s understanding of inflation because they suppress the supply of consumer goods. If there’s a mechanism by which they do boost supply, or if they actually help the Austrian money-supply definition, I want to hear about it!

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