site banner
PaperclipPerfector  7mo ago (text post)   2603 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 17, 2023

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.

About four years ago I read an article which talked about a vehicle used in some countries in the Third World (possibly India?) in which the infrastructure for motor vehicles no longer exists, so instead they just cut off the front of a car and hitch it to a horse or donkey. The author used this vehicle as a metaphor to make a Chesterton's fence-y argument about abolishing a social convention and then later having to reinvent it in degraded form once the purpose it served becomes obvious.

I'm almost certain I found this article on the old Motte subreddit. Can anyone remember the article I'm talking about, or even just the name of this type of vehicle (a motorcar adapted to be a horse-drawn carriage)?

I also would like that article.

IIRC, the name of the practice is "Jugand", with the metaphor being "Jugand ethics"

Found it: http://www.thetruthcounts.com/blogtraducciones/2018/11/14/jugaad-ethics/

Off by one letter! thanks a ton!

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