Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.
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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.
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Jump in the discussion.
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Notes -
Sun the vast majority of days (if it's going to rain, it should rain all day), high-80s to low-100s year-round, low humidity. Rain (especially that which is more than just drizzle) isn't a problem so long as it's sufficiently warm. Daylight should persist for no less than 10 hours a day in the winter.
I require the sun to be present in the sky to function correctly, and simply don't hold heat very well and need the environment to do it for me.
The Levant, Mainly Israel and Lebanon fit this profile.
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I knew we had Jews on the Motte, but I didn't expect to find a lizard person.
I am not now, nor have I ever been, a furry.
A scaly, then?
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You never talked to @Lizzardspawn?
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