Godwin's Law: Difference between revisions

[[File:hitlercard2.jpg|link=Magic: The Gathering|frame|There are some things stupid arguments can't solve. For everything else, there's [[The Hitler Card]]. <ref>[[Magic: The Gathering|You do need 6 untapped lands to cast it, though.]]</ref>]]

 

 

Also known as "Godwin's Rule of Nazi Analogies". Originated by Richard Sexton, and popularized by Mike Godwin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (and of [[The Other Wiki|the Wikimedia Foundation]] until 2010) in 1990 in the form:

 

 

Reformulated in the [http://www.cs.uu.nl/wais/html/na-dir/net-legends-faq/part2.html Net.Legends FAQ]s "Usenet Rule #4":

 

 

It is generally accepted that [[Derailing|whoever is the first to play the "Hitler card"]] has lost the argument as well as any trace of respect, as having to resort to comparing your adversary to the most infamous mass-murdering dictator in history generally means you've run out of ''better'' arguments. Thus, once such a comparison is made, the thread is finished and whoever mentioned the Nazis has automatically lost whatever debate was in progress. This principle is itself frequently referred to as Godwin's law.