site banner
naraburns  nihil supernum  2yr ago (text post)   2940 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 6, 2022

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.

4
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

I didn’t want to click through to unz, so I wrote up this whole thing about the Portland vase. It was the first thing in the British Museum’s Roman collection, but glass also can’t be carbon dated. Since I lost my draft, though, here’s the short version.

Even if the main critic was right and that vase is a fake, I don’t think much changes. We still have other historical records corroborating the existence of the alleged last Roman owner. We’ve got a few dozen other samples of glass using the same technique. And we have a broader picture of Roman history anchored by radiocarbon of charcoal and such from towns, military camps, and so on.

It’s pretty implausible that Gibbon et al. were writing massive shared-universe fan fiction.

What is wrong with Unz. Even if his politics suck, it's not like you are enriching him by clicking like you would the Wasingtonpost

I wasn’t sure of that ahead of time. I actually couldn’t remember the political lean, either, since that other response was playing the thesis up as anti-white. Yeah, I figured it out pretty quick.

But for me, it’s more about legitimacy. Somewhere, a view counter has ticked up, and an author gets to use me to convince others that he’s a worthy read. I’ll freely admit it’s not particularly rational.

What is wrong with Unz.

Nothing is wrong with Ron Unz, just like nothing is wrong with Alex Jones, both are doing their work.

Shitcoating 101 for Alex, 201-301 for Ron.

What is shitcoating? Recipe is simple.

Pick well researched and well documented truth that would shock normies to the core of their souls.

Add pile of unfounded speculation and wild fantasy.

Add bigger pile of delusionary nonsense.

Add really big pile of brown shit. Must be 100% authentic proud sieg heiling Nazi shit, accept no substitutes.

Stir vigorously, serve hot and steaming.

Works every time.

I get where you’re coming from with Unz being a Nazi, but how is Jones one? I mean, I’m sure he’s not exactly a philosemite- few conspiracy theorists are- but he seems like a libertarian with some culturally conservative ideas when he’s consistent.

I get where you’re coming from with Unz being a Nazi

It can happen. When you keep going how nothing happened to the Jews during WW2 and they deserved it all, how Hitler was a hero who saved European civilization, how Jews drink blood of Christian children etc..., some people might mistake you for Nazi.

But I do not believe that libertarian Californian Jew suddenly got a revelation that Hitler was the greatest man that ever lived and turned his life around. I believe that Ron Unz, just like Alex Jones (and Andrew Anglin, one of stars of his site) are professionals doing their job and doing it well.

but how is Jones one? I mean, I’m sure he’s not exactly a philosemite- few conspiracy theorists are- but he seems like a libertarian with some culturally conservative ideas when he’s consistent.

I described Unz's method, for Jones, replace Nazism with generic illuminati/lizardman gutter conspiracy content.

The same thing, only for sub 100 IQ audience. Ron's audience is higher grade, people who love to read 10,000 word articles and argue in 1000 comment threads.

Thanks. Not sure how I keep forgetting that exists.

At this point, most readers will have lost patience. With those whose curiosity surpasses their skepticism...

Someone's channeling his inner Moldbug.

we shall now argue that Imperial Rome is actually, for a large part, a fictitious mirror image of Constantinople, a fantasy that started emerging in the eleventh century in the context of the cultural war waged by the papacy against the Byzantine empire, and solidified in the fifteenth century, in the context of the plunder of Byzantine culture that is known as the Renaissance.

Ah.

Overall, I was not terribly impressed with the article. The author is correct to note that historical sources are rife with opportunities for fakery or, at least, a game of telephone. He then fails to apply that skepticism to his own pet theory. Perhaps that is a moot point, since he prefers citing the absence of evidence rather than evidence of absence.

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