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PaperclipPerfector  20hr ago (text post)   672 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for February 8, 2026

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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ook 7 of the Twelve Miles Below saga was much more satisfying than the end of book 6!

I'm pleased to hear this!

Have you read The Game at Carousel? I forget if we've talked about this.

We haven't! Do I need to check it out? Fair warning, I might read book 19 of ExFor first, but then again, Convergence book 5 is still close enough in the rear view that I might not be ready for more Craig Alanson.

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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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