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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   3685 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 14, 2024

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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You haven't posted much and you haven't earned many upvotes. Until you participate regularly, you will be caught in the new user filter.

How many upvotes do I need to escape the filter?

I don't know. I don't know if it's a fixed number. Just participate regularly and eventually you won't be flagged as a new user.

I know @AhhhTheFrench's had trouble with being flagged because he gets downvoted a lot. Now, he's significantly less pleasant to deal with than @Doubletree2 here, but do you think the vote totals being involved might end up disproportionately hurting those whose views differ from the typical mottizen's?

Yes, it does have that effect. guesswho/darwin stayed in the new user filter despite being a regular poster because he was downvoted so heavily.

It is an inconvenience, but I'm not sure what alternatives Zorba might want to implement.

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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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