site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1723 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for October 25, 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.

Writing prompt! Think of secret government agencies that take control of low-fantasy magic items, like Warehouse 13 or The Librarians or the warehouse in Indiana Jones.

Assume that on December 9, 1933, when King Kong died falling from the Empire State building, the Smithsonian took custody of the body and, on the orders of President Roosevelt, commissioned the creation of four enchanted monkeys paws. On December 22, Roosevelt wished on the first of 20 uncurled digits that America would be given an industrial rebirth to end the Great Depression. On the other side of the world, The Reichstag Fire Trial Verdict was acquittal of the Bulgarians, which came down against Hitler’s wishes. Furious, this ignited a fire in his heart that would soon consume all of Europe.

What other wishes have been made?

After the 2016 election: "I wish we could get a leader that is fucking competent for once!". 2017, Google releases the attention is all you need paper, leading to rapid acceleration in AI development and ultimately AGI.

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