Godwin's Law: Difference between revisions
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Pre-Mike Godwin and its prevalence on the internet, the spoken and written word version of this was called ''[[wikipedia:Reductio ad Hitlerum|reductio ad Hitlerum]]'' or ''argumentum ad Hitlerum'', coined by ethical philosopher Leo Strauss in 1953. It means pretty much the same as Godwin's Law: [[Hitler Ate Sugar|"A view is not refuted by the fact that it happens to have been shared by Hitler."]] |
Pre-Mike Godwin and its prevalence on the internet, the spoken and written word version of this was called ''[[wikipedia:Reductio ad Hitlerum|reductio ad Hitlerum]]'' or ''argumentum ad Hitlerum'', coined by ethical philosopher Leo Strauss in 1953. It means pretty much the same as Godwin's Law: [[Hitler Ate Sugar|"A view is not refuted by the fact that it happens to have been shared by Hitler."]] |
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George Orwell said something similar in his 1946 essay, "[https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/politics-and-the-english-language/ Politics and the English Language]", where he noted the new definition of fascism had pretty much become "anything you don't agree with". |
George Orwell said something similar in his 1946 essay, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20211127192107/https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/politics-and-the-english-language/ Politics and the English Language]", where he noted the new definition of fascism had pretty much become "anything you don't agree with". |
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This trope is (perhaps not surprisingly, given [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|human nature]]) [[Older Than They Think]]. Prior to the 1940s, the go-to villains were generally [[The Bible|Biblical]], such as the Pharaoh of the Exodus, Pontius Pilate, or Judas. |
This trope is (perhaps not surprisingly, given [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|human nature]]) [[Older Than They Think]]. Prior to the 1940s, the go-to villains were generally [[The Bible|Biblical]], such as the Pharaoh of the Exodus, Pontius Pilate, or Judas. |
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