site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1488 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for August 9, 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?

I'm still on Slezkine's The Jewish Century. Also adding Taylor's Sources of the Self to my list. Backlog moving slowly.

Finished The Screwtape Letters - extremely illuminating and thought-provoking book. On the lighter side, continued my quest through the Dresden Files with the Ghost Story. Dresden seems to reach peek goofiness in this one, it's a fun read but in the terms of universe/character development it seems to walk in circles. Hopefully it's a gravity assist maneuver for what's to come next.

Started The Seventh Function of Language - sounds to be fun so far, though a lot of it might be outside my depth, as I am not that knowledgeable in the details of contemporary French philosophy and linguistics and its personalities. I know the names but I think a lot of stuff he's making fun of them for goes right over my head.

On the lighter side, continued my quest through the Dresden Files with the Ghost Story. Dresden seems to reach peek goofiness in this one, it's a fun read but in the terms of universe/character development it seems to walk in circles.

IDK, for my money, Ghost Story does develop most of the main characters of the series, It's a Wonderful Life Style, but moreover, it contains one of, if not the, most powerful scene(s) in the series at its climax thus far -- revealing to Harry the pain and suffering he caused Molly, specifically, by asking her to bear the burden of assisting him in his attempt at suicide-by-proxy via calling in the favor that Kincaid owed him, and having her erase it from his memory so he wouldn't know to look out for his own assassination. It's still my favorite of the series, and may well stay that way unless Butcher pulls another rabbit out of his hat like that one.

And FTR, the other two scenes that, for me, compete with the previous one are Harry's first meeting with Uriel in Small Favor and Murphy's Death and Butter's subsequent intervention preventing Harry from killing Murphy's murderer in Battle Ground.

About the Molly part - I still can't believe he did it to her. I mean dude, she's still a kid, couldn't you find some other way? I mean it's a very clever twist, I grant that, but it doesn't reflect well on Harry tbh. He is usually choosing to be decent to most people around him, and when the situation calls for being shitty, that's where he decides to turn to? I didn't feel good about it. Also, it means that not only the Corpsetaker problem had been made much worse by Harry, but the whole shitshow is actually of his making, and he doesn't even have a good reason for it, as it turns out. If he did exactly nothing, he'd be pretty much in the same place as he was at the end, except with much less casualties. That's a bit like this one: https://youtube.com/watch?v=kWE6M-rhh2U

Oh, I completely agree, and this is what makes the moment so poignant for me: Harry knew exactly what we was doing when he asked, knew that what he needed, what he was asking for was completely unfair to ask of Molly, and he asked it anyway. And as a result, things got a lot worse, for Chicago in general as well as for his friends in particular. If Butcher hadn't spent so much time and so many novels developing those relationships, the book never would have worked, but because he did, that book in general and the climax in particular played my personal heart strings like a fiddle, and that's what makes me love him as an author so much: he tends to put the work into his character development, making those moments pay off when they hit. Throughout the series, Harry fucks up a lot, his choices have consequences, sometimes big ones, and sometimes, like in Ghost Story he has good reason for his choices, like, y'know, saving his daughter from the Red Court at all costs, selling his soul to do so, and trying to cheat Mab herself out her prize! YMMV and all, but for me, when I think of the things that I've read that have personally moved me, Clive Barker's Imajica is the only one that comes quickly to mind that isn't a Dresden Files book.

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