site banner
PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1432 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for August 24, 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.

3
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Are smart phones a Bostromian 'black ball' that just makes everything worse upon being discovered?

They inflicted mobile gaming on the world. They made social media worse I think. Dating apps proliferated. Sleep disruption. Short-form video in an ugly vertical format. People are watching movies on smartphones, it's destroying film. All these companies that make you install their app (it doesn't work).

Almost everything that can be done on a smart phone is done better on a PC or laptop. Cameraphones were good enough for communicating IMO.

Google maps is actually helpful but besides that? 2 factor authentication? Seems like a net negative to me.

How old are you?

My life before smart phones was so different. I love that I can pull out and read any book I want, I love that I don't need a separate device for music, I love that I can research anything anytime instead of writing it down and searching through my encyclopedia at home.

Have you ever tried a long road trip with a physical map?

Yeah they ruin a lot of stuff and may not be worth it but don't forget what they've added.

How old are you?

Middle aged. I remember all the way back to the world where normies had no internet, and then the later world when more cutting-edge weirdos had home dialup internet.

I love that I can pull out and read any book I want,

Physical books or kindle + libgen. I find reading on the phone to be terrible, and really, kindle isn't great either.

I love that I don't need a separate device for music

I recently bought an mp3 player again so I can run or hike with music without having my phone along. It's wonderful.

I love that I can research anything anytime instead of writing it down and searching through my encyclopedia at home.

This part is certainly convenient. I'm not sure I really learn more or retain more, though, compared to writing notes down and then internet searching at home.

Have you ever tried a long road trip with a physical map?

Yep, I moved across several states to a completely unknown city using physical maps. It was fine. My goal now on long road trips is to look up directions before I leave and then not look at maps again.

Physical books or kindle + libgen. I find reading on the phone to be terrible, and really, kindle isn't great either.

Some of this is different strokes for different folks - I would never in a million years ago back to a separate music player.

I will say that I have a kindle and used it over my phone for a long time until I got an oversized phone and then suddenly reading on the phone didn't bother me.

Some of this is different strokes for different folks

Yes, definitely. I have an upcoming backpacking trip where my phone will be off or in airplane mode (when I need it for navigation, unfortunately) for 5ish days. It will be heavenly. And I'll be reminded when I get back how little I really need the phone and how much I pay per month to have a texting/email/wikipedia pocket tracking device.

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