site banner
PaperclipPerfector  4d ago (text post)   2608 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 26, 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.

1
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

So, what are you reading?

Going through Felix Cohen's The Legal Conscience, though I've skipped the first section for now. My interest was rekindled after reading a Tablet article which argued that "Israel is best understood not as an apartheid state, but as a protected tribal reserve." Not sure how coherent that argument is, and I don't know if Cohen would make it, but I feel that he is nevertheless someone who can't be ignored.

Two factors now, as then, are involved: a native [American Indian] population in possession of areas rich in natural resources but without the techniques, or without the incentives, needed for the full development of these resources, and, on the other hand, a population with the desire and techniques to exploit these material resources. The problem now, as then, is to preserve the rights and liberties of native groups while permitting the fullest development of the world's resources. In seeking a modus vivendi for racial groups of varying cultures, those who will build a better postwar world can well afford to ponder the legal relationship of American Indians to the Federal Government, which, after three centuries of experience and experimentation, often bitter, conforms more closely today than ever before to the humane legal ideals first formulated by the theological jurisprudence of sixteenth century Spain.

Also picking up Slezkine's The Jewish Century, which seems like an overdue read.

There was another book thread in the Fun Thread. Posting here because the Fun Thread has a no-culture-war rule.

Still going through Reverend Insanity, about 15% of the way in. Starting to wonder if there are other worthwhile cultivation novels (or games for that matter) with better translations.

Western progression fantasy (Worm, Worth the Candle, Dungeon Crawler Carl) has not been quite as fun.

There's something in Western Fantasy where the love of power is undermined. In the Wheel of Time Rand spends so much time agonizing and waiting and only rarely does anything when he's insanely strong. Or in Worth The Candle it problematizes power, there's so much about being a good person and emotional maturity. The whole story is kind of therapeutic apologia for being a bit mean in a D&D session.

Taylor in Worm was pretty good and selfless all things considered and the Worm subreddit was going 'yeah she's problematic and an unreliable narrator and flawed.'

Meanwhile in RI it goes full-bore. Ritual sacrifice, realpolitik, betrayal, warlordism (real warlordism, not being a nice gangster like Taylor), mass-murder and a relentless pursuit of power. Emotional maturity is knowing how to bide time and endure humiliations while scheming, how to endure losses or avoid distraction - not therapy talk. Good and evil, freedom and destiny explored on a grand and fantastical scale, not a petty scale.

When even the Chinese Communist Party says, “whoah, there, you’re creepin’ a bit”, I’m not sure that this is an unsparing look at how life really is as opposed to the fantasy of a rather nasty person who likes the aesthetic of power.

It's not an unsparing look at how life really is, it's a look at how life could be in a deeply alien world. It explicitly says that 'this doesn't work on Earth because one man can't stand above many on pure power alone'. There's social commentary to an extent about the role of individuals and society but it's not Earth society. This is another world treated on its own terms, an extreme world because extremes are where things break down.

There are some universal thematic lessons but it's more stuff about persevering and treading one's path and not getting tied down by the expectations of others, desires for freedom.

Also, it didn't get banned for being excessively gruesome but because the author seemed to reference real political figures, which is a big no-no apparently. You certainly can't have anyone called Xi Xingping in your web serial. Truly inexplicable authorial decisions...

Fair, and I apologise for the mischaracterisation.

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