TracingWoodgrains -- 'Book Review: The Color of Law'
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A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently,
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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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Notes -
So what's the current state of the BLR? On hiatus? In Limbo? Gone forever? Might conceivably make a comeback?
Gone forever is my preference.
I had to deal with it back in the day and I heavily disliked it. For many of the same reasons I dislike AI posting.
It becomes back door culture warring, and it started fights constantly. And I had to basically read a bunch of the articles to play judge when the fights started. So it also became a gish gallop attack on the mod process.
No matter how often I explain this people still want it back. But less effective moderation + having the BLR back is win in some users eyes, so I suspect they will continue to advocate for it.
Understandable.
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