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<TITLE>Re: [governance] Parminder's exchange with Bertrand</TITLE>
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Well spotted McTim! For the uninitiated from Wikipedia- <BR>
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</SPAN><FONT SIZE="2"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'><B>Godwin's Law</B> (also known as <B>Godwin's Rule of Nazi Analogies</B> or <B>Godwin's Law of Nazi Analogies</B>) is a humorous observation made by Mike Godwin in 1990 which has become an Internet adage. It states: "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches”<BR>
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Godwin's Law is often cited in online discussions as a deterrent against the use of arguments in the widespread <I>reductio ad Hitlerum </I> form. The rule does not make any statement about whether any particular reference or comparison to Adolf Hitler or the Nazis might be appropriate, but only asserts that the likelihood of such a reference or comparison arising increases as the discussion progresses. It is precisely because such a comparison or reference may sometimes be appropriate, Godwin has argued that overuse of Nazi and Hitler comparisons should be avoided, because it robs the valid comparisons of their impact.<BR>
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Also </SPAN><FONT SIZE="2"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'>there is a tradition in many newsgroups and other Internet discussion forums that once such a comparison is made, the thread is finished.<BR>
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<HR ALIGN=CENTER SIZE="3" WIDTH="95%"><B>From: </B>McTim <<a href="dogwallah@gmail.com">dogwallah@gmail.com</a>><BR>
<B>Reply-To: </B><<a href="governance@lists.cpsr.org">governance@lists.cpsr.org</a>>, McTim <<a href="dogwallah@gmail.com">dogwallah@gmail.com</a>><BR>
<B>Date: </B>Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:56:45 +0300<BR>
<B>To: </B><<a href="governance@lists.cpsr.org">governance@lists.cpsr.org</a>>, Milton L Mueller <<a href="mueller@syr.edu">mueller@syr.edu</a>><BR>
<B>Cc: </B>Avri Doria <<a href="avri@psg.com">avri@psg.com</a>><BR>
<B>Subject: </B>Re: [governance] Parminder's exchange with Bertrand<BR>
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On Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 11:36 PM, Milton L Mueller <<a href="mueller@syr.edu">mueller@syr.edu</a>> wrote:<BR>
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I think your view is incredibly unrealistic, even bizarre. Authoritarian monsters like Hitler<BR>
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Godwin.<BR>
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Let's move on.<BR>
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Cheers,<BR>
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McTim<BR>
"A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel<BR>
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