What is this place?
This subreddit 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 TheMotte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!
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 /r/TheMotte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.
Courtesy
Content
Engagement
The Wildcard Rule
Moderation is very much driven by user sentiment. Feel free to report comments or message the mods with your thoughts.
Regular threads
Recommended Community Readings
See also an unofficial but affiliated Discord server, with nice chatrooms like #rationality
or #math_and_cs
.
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