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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3266 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for December 11, 2022

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.

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So what's the story behind everyone's usernames?

I'll start, mine is derived from crow-stepped gables, a common feature of the architecture in my city.

When I made my most recent Reddit account, it auto generated the username "substantial_layer_13". The name here is based on that of course, playing with the idea that while the discussions we have here are kind of frivolous and for fun, hopefully there's some substance there too.

Prior to that I was bigstrat2003 on Reddit, which is a username I've had in various places. It refers to when (2003 of course) I got my first guitar as my 18th birthday present, a Fender Stratocaster. I had wanted a "fat strat" with the humbucker bridge pickup, although as it happens I got the normal configuration. The original goal wound up being reflected in my username, though ("big strat" instead of "fat strat").

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.


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