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PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   3171 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for June 12, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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As a zoomer who has been sporadically lurking here for a year, my inhibition is too high to post in the Culture War thread. Since I've yet to commence higher education and have meaningful experience writing formal publications, I'm deeply insecure about my prose and lexicon. I am very much a generalist and a decent synthesizer who knows the synoptic framework of a vast array of fields without having fully narrowed down my niche. I would love to contribute more extensively, but can't be sure I will manage to do so without sounding like a flagrant sophist. Do I get lost or persist?

I'm sure that most denizens of this website feel inferior to the huge-brained lawyers, programmers, and doctors. There is no need for you to expect yourself to be as ultra-cool as they are. Many of the comments that I myself make are just links to sources—not very big-brained, but not the most low-value stuff in the world, either.

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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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