site banner
PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2210 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for June 8, 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.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

So, what are you reading?

I'm still on the Iliad, Dialectic of Enlightenment and McLuhan's The Classical Trivium. Picking up Nudge: The Final Edition.

Daring (Pax Arcana Book 2), by Elliott James.

@Titanium Butterfly, City was quite thought-provoking! Not at all surprising coming from Simak, and I'm really glad that someone has dedicated themselves to getting his stuff published. I've probably read at least one book that was directly influenced by it--don't remember the exact name of it, maybe Manta's Gift, but it was by Timothy Zahn.

Glad you liked it. Simak was so far ahead of his time. Particularly the part where everyone goes off to try another mode of existence and nobody comes back stays with me. But the whole book has such a vibe to it and I think it ages well. Definitely one I'll be getting my kids to read.

A few years ago I was up in Seattle on business and found a first edition in fantastic shape at Twice Sold Tales. Very happy with it.

Meanwhile I'm on book 2 of 12 Miles Below. So far it feels not quite as good as the first but definitely willing to give it time. Thanks again for the rec.

12 Miles Below has been steadily getting worse over time, but it started at such a high point that it's still okay. I won't spoil the later books, but it gets increasingly self-aware and the humor becomes obnoxious.

Interesting - I still love it (and relevant to here, especially for its representation of AI).

When do you feel it started to go off the rails?

I still love it (and relevant to here, especially for its representation of AI)

This is one of my least favorite things about it. The nice goddess behaves plausibly but the mean one doesn't, and the greatest flaw with her minions is that they don't either. They're riddled with arbitrary human weaknesses. Every single thing they do wears at my suspension of disbelief like a cult knife on a relic armor's shield. I'm only holding out because I'm hoping that at some point this absurdity is explained.

I don't know where you are in the story but their is an EXTREMELY good explanation for some of the behavioral inconsistencies (which I personally find narratively satisfying and ties back into my enjoyment of the representation of AI).

Keeping vague: The circumstance's behind bad AI's creation greatly constrain its thinking and options. This also applies to several different types of artificial beings in the story.

I read it on royal road so it's not really split into books in my head. And it's been a couple years. But I'd say maybe book four. I love the action scenes, and the worldbuilding is good too, but more and more attention gets focused on comparatively irrelevant stuff, the pacing gets worse, and there's a particular plotline that's been dragged on for AGES with no progress.

Honestly still love it though, those action scenes are just delicious.

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