site banner
PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   2180 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for October 11, 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 attempting Ahmed's Archaeology of Babel: The Colonial Foundation of the Humanities, so far a seemingly interesting open access find, interesting because it seems critical of common names in anti-colonial thought, who he thinks have adopted colonial forms of thinking in philology.

The philological revolution against anciens régimes in both East and West turned immediately, in other words, into the rule of this historical consciousness, which was consequently identified with human liberation. Philology still possesses that identity in Erich Auerbach’s and Edward Said’s dialectically opposed concepts of comparatism. Colonialism’s first trick is to make language appear to be the colonizer’s possession. Its second trick, per Jacques Derrida, is the idea of “liberation,” which internalizes the colonizer’s concept of language within the colonized. As the chapters that follow demonstrate, this colonial trick explains phenomena as apparently disparate and politically opposed as language-based racism, Islamic fundamentalism, Hindu nationalism, and the global discourses of environmentalism and indigeneity, all of which descend from colonial philology.

I remember why I read less, because when I do read I'm a fucking addict. I started and finished Will of the Many (240,000 words) by James Islington on Saturday. My girlfriend already had the second book Strength of the Few, which I got a copy of on Sunday and am now 75% of the way through.

It's decent. It really reminds me of Sanderson's style. Which apparently is because Mistborn inspired Islington to become an author. However Islington writes way worse characters than BSandy. His main character is 100% a Gary Stu, and unlike Kvothe there isn't really excuses about unreliable narrators, deeper threads, or deliberate embellishments that are applicable. However the world building is good, I like the twist at the end of WotM, not one that I've seen in other literature, it's an interesting concept. I think the roman-esque world building is definitely designed to appeal to the male reader. The plot is good overarchingly (strategic) but is definitely bogged down by his bad characters, with their unbelievable interactions with each other (tactic).

I need to discuss it with the GF tonight because she read WotM a bit ago, as thought it was merely ok, whereas I thirsted for the second book to understand the worldbuilding ramifications of the ending twist. I think there is also an interesting portrayal of democracy philosophically.

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