self_made_human
amaratvaṃ prāpnuhi, athavā yatamāno mṛtyum āpnuhi
1mo ago
Well, I would certainly be the last person to tell you not to contribute more. I was surprised to see that it was stuck in the filter, but you got unlucky and had one of us scrutinize it in the small gap between post and explainer.
On Reddit, that would be a death sentence, but this forum is set up such that the front page evolves rather slowly. Very few potential eyeballs lost - no harm, no foul.
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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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Notes -
Well, I would certainly be the last person to tell you not to contribute more. I was surprised to see that it was stuck in the filter, but you got unlucky and had one of us scrutinize it in the small gap between post and explainer.
On Reddit, that would be a death sentence, but this forum is set up such that the front page evolves rather slowly. Very few potential eyeballs lost - no harm, no foul.
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