There are a lot of similar terms, but motte and bailey is a uniquely apt metaphor for describing a specific rhetorical strategy. I think the reason it often feels unhelpful in practice is because it’s unusually unnecessary to be so precise when our goal is just to call out bullshit. I personally like “motte and bailey” quite a bit, but as a tool for my own private thinking rather than as a piece of rhetoric to persuade others with.
There are a lot of similar terms, but motte and bailey is a uniquely apt metaphor for describing a specific rhetorical strategy. I think the reason it often feels unhelpful in practice is because it’s unusually unnecessary to be so precise when our goal is just to call out bullshit. I personally like “motte and bailey” quite a bit, but as a tool for my own private thinking rather than as a piece of rhetoric to persuade others with.