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PaperclipPerfector  7mo ago (text post)   26629 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of March 25, 2024

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New here and just read the rules. I guess my post about my HBD-related existential crisis will have to be relegated to next-weeks’ thread

What rule makes this necessary?

If it's a great post, and you want the chance of an AAQC (there's a monthly roundup of the best posts) for this month, well, you should post it before the end of the month. Thursday/Friday is plenty of time for people to comment on it; I'd mostly only consider delaying if it's Sunday, or maybe Saturday.

Also, cool username.

There are new top level posts made in the thread throughout the week. A new thread goes up on Monday so if you post it now we’ll have all of Friday/Saturday/Sunday to discuss it.

Nah, you can put it here whenever. Monday is just when the thread gets refreshed. A lot of the engagement happens on Friday/Saturday as people check in from the Fun Thread.

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.


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