site banner
naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3365 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 1, 2023

Happy New Year!

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.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

I joined a book club, so I'm now reading Project Hail Mary though I hadn't really intended to. I read The Martian a while ago and thought it was fine.

I love the idea of book clubs, but hate how they require you to read certain books that might not otherwise be on your list. I know there's the argument that it helps you diversify your tastes, but there are just too many books out there that I won't live long enough to read that I hate spending time on one I'm not passionate about. So in my ideal world I have a book club, and I am the autocratic dictator who chooses every book.

Anyway, the book is interesting enough so far (I'm 1/5 in). It is a little weird to me though that it follows the same pattern of The Martian of "guy alone in space."

My book club is currently discussing short stories. It’s wonderful. I still get to discuss fiction, in person, with a group of people once a month. But the time commitment to prepare isn’t much more than an evening or two, to read, re-read and take down my thoughts.

Love that idea - and there are so many great short stories out there! I might suggest it when it's my turn to pick.

I was reading Project Hail Mary a while back myself but never really finished it.

I think the reason why I stopped is because Andy Weir's specific style of writing doesn't jive with me very well. The writing is very simplistic and is easier to parse than lots of other sci-fi, which is fine (perhaps even good) on its own. However, there's also a lot of very juvenile humour and characterisation, and this, along with the simplicity of the prose, ends up creating a goofy and immature vibe that feels particularly dissonant when it's contrasted with the extremely tense situations the main character is placed in.

Yeah, the writing feels very "informed by Internet culture." It's like it's trying too hard to be appealing to me, which I find off-putting. At least it's short and I can get back to my other books soon!

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