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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3405 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for November 18, 2022

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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Seems like this forum has a thing for Jew-related conversations, as well as the occasional Holocaust revisionism, which probably means I've overstayed my welcome.

There are definitely some of that sort here, but they are a minority. We allow people to present any idea here, even the most disreputable, so unsurprisingly, you will see the Holocaust revisionists and the pedo-advocates come out of the woodwork. I would not say this is a "flaw" per se (it is intentional that we don't censor any topics), but becoming the place where all the Nazis and pedos hang out is certainly a failure-mode we are mindful of.

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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!

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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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