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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2429 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for March 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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Tech support question. I just posted a new main post. Logged in, it shows fine. If I open TheMotte in incognito, it doesn't show. If I open the direct link in incognito, it says [Deleted by user], which, uh, I don't think I did? Do all main posts need to be approved? Did I break something?

Do all main posts need to be approved?

Yeah, all posts need to be manually approved by the mods, no matter how long you've been here, and how good your reputation is. Until then, it is visible only to you and the mods.

Cool. Thanks! I'll try to remember that, so I won't accidentally ask again the next time I try to make a main post, which could be months. Mods! Hello! Not @'ing you or calling you out or anything, but if you happen to see this. :) Thank you!

Feel free to ping any mod you've seen around recently, they're good sports about this stuff. I think I saw some @self_made_human poasting just now, can you help out?

Yup. I've let it out of the cage, @ControlsFreak

Thank you! It's a chonker.

For what it's worth, you can use the contact us option in the sidebar to message (all) mods. But it's probably just faster to ping or DM us, I know that I rarely check the general mod mail.

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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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