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PaperclipPerfector  17hr ago (text post)   582 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for March 22, 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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So, what are you reading?

I'm adding Voegelin's A New Science of Politics to my list.

Finished my third read of Lying for Money yesterday. I've realised that I have a particular fascination with stories about liars and frauds getting found out and exposed. I loved reading the Wikipedia article about Theranos (and have been meaning to watch the miniseries about the company, The Dropout). Shattered Glass is not an especially well-made film, suffering from a wholly unnecessary "cinematic" framing device, but I find the story so fascinating that I've watched it four or five times in addition to reading its source material about that many times.

Debating what to read next. I was thinking of reading The Mothman Prophecies, but I'm loath to read two works of non-fiction (I suppose I should say, two books which were marketed as non-fiction) back to back. However, none of the novels in my to-read list are really piquing my interest: Hey Zoey? A Canticle for Leibowitz? After Long Silence?

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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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