site banner
PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1965 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 24, 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 still on Sayers' Whose Body? Also reading Abelson's The Seven Liberal Arts after rereading Sayers' essay The Lost Tools of Learning.

Nothing, but at least that means I'm not performing a close reading and textual analysis of the DSM-5, ICD-10 and ICD-11.

I genuinely would take recommendations now. Recommendations for the recommendation would be that I mostly prefer nerdy hard sf bullshit, but I could branch out.

But if someone were to recommend Heidegger, I'd say hi, and then dig two graves before embarking on a journey of revenge.

I mean, I could recommend you a novel, but I have something of a conflict of interest.

Heh. Fair, if you still need eyes on the final draft I can go for it with more time and energy this time.

I was just joshing really. If you would like to read it and see what happens next, I would of course be interested to hear your opinion. But I don't expect you to go through the whole thing with a fine-toothed comb, and if, based on what you've read so far, it doesn't seem like your cup of tea, that's completely fine too.

I usually go for coffee, stronger and a quarter of a quarter of a substitute for the medication I need. But please do send it through, since you're expecting no promises about anything (and thank god for that haha, my soul is barely recovering).

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