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PaperclipPerfector  8mo ago (text post)   2610 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for April 4, 2025

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.

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Do we know how early male children gravitate toward weapons of war?

Probably instantly because males gravitate towards tools and machines in general as toddlers, weapons of war is a subcategory of that.

I'm finally starting to appreciate baby toys with baby boy (7 months).

The girls basically ignored their toys until they got dolls, and I wondered why all the rolling things, sliding things, wooden gears and whatnot even existed. But baby boy is into them! He has something with gears on it, and he actually turns the gears!

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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!

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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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