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PaperclipPerfector  6d ago (text post)   2017 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for May 30, 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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Every year, Scott runs a book review contest for his readers. This year, to mix things up a little, he's running an "anything that isn't a book" review contest. Readers can vote on who makes it to the finals here: https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/choose-nonbook-review-finalists-2025

In the interests of partial disclosure, I did enter the contest, but in order to maintain Scott's desire for the entries to be judged anonymously, I won't tell you which entry is mine. Suffice to say that writing it was a big operation, to the point of having my girlfriend read over it to give feedback, and also printing it off myself so as to go through it literally line-by-line. I think the end result was something pretty special, and I hope you all agree if you do end up reading it.

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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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