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ArjinFerman  Tinfoil Gigachad  1d ago (text post)   174 thread views

Tinker Tuesday for September 29th, 2026

This thread is for anyone working on personal projects to share their progress, and hold themselves somewhat accountable to a group of peers.

Post your project, your progress from last week, and what you hope to accomplish this week.

If you want to be pinged with a reminder asking about your project, let me know, and I'll harass you each week until you cancel the service.

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Are you taller than 5′9″, or shorter than 5′9″?

You forgot about the people who are exactly 5′9″.

the opening

Last time you did this, didn't somebody point out that whether someone is interested in a book's opening paragraphs is related to whether that person is interested in the book's summary? It doesn't make sense to solicit opinions on the opening paragraphs from people who never would have picked up the book in the first place.

You forgot about the people who are exactly 5′9″.

Fair point, amended.

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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!

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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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