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Cheyenne Lin

Server and Cashier @ Boston Market, Operation: Prom

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Godwin's Law

This law states the longer a conversation goes on the more often the Holocaust or WWII will come up. I believe in this law. For some reason you can compare anything to the Holocaust.
What do you guys think?

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    Debra Smith 200+

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    Jun 27 2012: I cannot trivialize the Holocaust. It happened and it should be instructive to every segment of humanity. I have to reflect on the development of people for whom it is not. I am delighted to know of Godwin's law but I do not plan to run right out and get the book like I might with someone very constructive like a Steve Pinker.
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    edward long 100+

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    Jun 21 2012: TED Conversation Search results:"Hitler= 9.WWII = 5."Holocaust"= 29."Politics"= 600+
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      Debra Smith 200+

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      Jun 27 2012: I LOVE THIS! Ignorance can be like shadows. A little light does a lot more than heat in these cases.

  • Eric Hazelle

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    Jun 21 2012: Not sure; rising generations are ignorant of history. Usually, discussions, mainly political, devolve into comparisons to Hitler and Nazism. (Which in a way is a fulfillment of Godwin's Law.) It's even referred to as "argumentum ad Hitlorum", but again, most people are also ignorant of Hitler and Nazism and the conclusions drawn are faulty.
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    Robert Winner 50+

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    Jun 21 2012: I have made over 500 posts and cannot think of a single time I mentioned either. As Krisztain stated it would have to be an extreme conversation to use something that bad as a comparision.

    Perhaps Godwin want to be remembered for something and invented a "law" with his name attached. Also perhaps Godwin was wrong. OR maybe he planted that seed in your mind to make you think of this all of the time and one day you will say yep it came up.

    All the best. Bob.
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    Krisztián Pintér 200+

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    TED Translator
    Jun 21 2012: godwin's law definitely applies to this conversation. it came up right away.

    my answer: it is an argumentation technique to draw extreme conclusions from the opponent's statement to show their limited, not absolute nature. example: "opinions are equally worthy". possible refutation: let's find some really crazy and/or harmful idea, and ask in what sense it is as worthy as, for example, the theory of relativity. the more extreme the example, the easier to see how wrong the original statement is. so we take the example of hitler and the idea to systematically kill all the jews.

    in short: nazism is used as an example because it is extreme. nothing mystic about it.
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