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PaperclipPerfector  6mo ago (text post)   2842 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for October 22, 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.

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How do you find living people off of dead people?

It may be easier to find living people off of living people. If you take an Ancestry DNA test, you will be able to view the accounts of all other people who took the test and are related to you, even if they are distant cousins. Many of these people will have their own publicly-viewable family trees which you can often use to figure out exactly how they're related to you.

If your grandfather (or parent) is willing to take (or already has taken) a test, he can give you access to his results, which will make it easier to find relevant relatives. Your goal will be to find any DNA matches who either already have Raymond Edward Stocker in their trees or who can be connected to him through other relatives. You can then message these people and find out what they know.

Great idea, thanks

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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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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.


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