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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!

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PaperclipPerfector 3d ago (text post) 283 thread views

Transnational Thursday for December 25, 2025

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

NunoSempere 1d ago

Some items I'm looking at:

Geopolitics

United States

Trump announces new class of U.S. battleships named after himself

Rest of the Americas

Iran and Venezuela Strengthen Alliance Against US Actions: Cooperation to Combat Caribbean Piracy

U.S. strikes another alleged drug-smuggling boat in eastern Pacific

US pursuing third oil tanker near Venezuela, officials say | Reuters

Great Satan US Steals Tanker Off Venezuela in Another Act of Piracy

Russia evacuates diplomats' families from Venezuela as US seizes oil tankers

also

Europe

EU anti-Russian influence operations, also decried as censorship

Pair convicted of plotting gun attack on mass gathering of Jews in Machester

Middle East

Israel plans to invest $110 billion to develop its indigenous defense industry.

Iran

Iran: 357 Executed Since November 22

Iran refuses inspection of nuclear sites until IAEA provides new guidelines after bombing

Gaza

Government announces 19 new West Bank settlements and legalized outposts | The Times of Israel

Land Grab: Inside Israel's Escalating Campaign for Control of the West Bank

Yemen

Asia

Japan's attempt to 'go nuclear' must be prevented, says North Korea

India announces USD 450 million reconstruction package for Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah

India/Pakistan

Pollution in New Delhi is so bad that people's DNA is getting damaged

Air Pollution in New Delhi,India: Effecting: DNA, Reproduction, Grand Children

Africa

Summary of Sudan toll in numbers

Hundreds of thousands newly displaced as Islamic State insurgency expands in Mozambique

President Trump announces strike on ISIS targets in Nigeria

Biorisks

Resistance to antifungal therapies

Artificial Intelligence

Google 2025 recap: Research breakthroughs of the year

ARC-AGI 2: Poetiq reaches 75% at less $8 / task

More tech

Russia's new anti-satellite weapon project would target Starlink with space shrapnel | AP News

Drones causing alarm in Thailand airport

Economy

Climate and Nature

Others

Context

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 Realtime Chats

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