site banner
PaperclipPerfector  12d ago (text post)   2797 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 17, 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.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

So, what are you reading?

I'm finally done with Christie's And Then There Were None. Didn't have much preamble, it just goes straight into it. Seems like a book written to an audience already very familiar with her work. It was enjoyable enough, and the characters worked. I've more or less given up on the desire to figure out who the killer is beforehand in these kinds of books, and I find that it is pleasant to read them like that. I'm afraid that the only other thing which I can say is that my favourite character died.

Going to give another stab at Sayers' Whose Body?

I finished Mage Errant, it was pretty good but dropped down to a 3.5/5 by the end. I actually made a Youtube review if anyone is interested: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8XjM93SfXTE

Started reading Spellslinger on the advice of the author of Mage Errant, and it's fun so far. My biggest gripe with it though is that it has that retarded trope where the protagonist gets in intense magical battles and always just happens to knock people unconscious instead of actually killing them. So incredibly stupid, though I get why authors are tempted to use it.

Mage Errant was way too YA for me.

Yeahhhh that was my biggest complaint. I mean at least they had real killing and stakes and a truly epic scale. But the YA therapy dialogue was the lowest point of the series.

I've managed to listen to your review and I think I can sympathize with the idea that first book is such a great pull into the fantasy universe that you just compelled to see how it will turn out. But I quit somewhere at start of book 3.

Hey glad to hear man! At least one person has listened then, hah.

Yeah it's always sad to read series with a lot of potential that don't fulfill it, but hey that's more common than not. I still enjoyed reading it.

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 Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats