naraburns nihil supernum
7mo ago
(text post)
29939 thread views
Israel-Gaza Megathread #2
This is a refreshed megathread for any posts on the conflict between (so far, and so far as I know) Hamas and the Israeli government, as well as related geopolitics. Culture War thread rules apply.
they just aren’t willing to concede to the second order effects of that being implemented (ie slaughter of the region’s Jewish population)
The same was said by the Afrikaners who had a far more precarious position before Apartheid fell. It is easy to say in hindsight that such concerns were overblown but they certainly did not feel it at the time (hence the massive emigration once the system fell). I don't think genocide would happen (the world would step in) but I agree that ethnic cleansing á la Karabach could happen or though we may see Israel do it in Gaza over the coming months instead.
If we're honest, both sides view the conflict as zero-sum so I don't think there's a moral lesson here. Only who is more powerful.
I don't think genocide would happen (the world would step in)
The track record of the world stepping in to prevent genocide is not actually that great. If the world is stepping in, it would be before Israel is defeated.
I have no doubt that Hamas would do their best to genocide Israeli citizens if they had the power to do so.
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.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
The same was said by the Afrikaners who had a far more precarious position before Apartheid fell. It is easy to say in hindsight that such concerns were overblown but they certainly did not feel it at the time (hence the massive emigration once the system fell). I don't think genocide would happen (the world would step in) but I agree that ethnic cleansing á la Karabach could happen or though we may see Israel do it in Gaza over the coming months instead.
If we're honest, both sides view the conflict as zero-sum so I don't think there's a moral lesson here. Only who is more powerful.
The track record of the world stepping in to prevent genocide is not actually that great. If the world is stepping in, it would be before Israel is defeated.
I have no doubt that Hamas would do their best to genocide Israeli citizens if they had the power to do so.
Depends who the victims would be.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link