Godwin's Law

Godwin's Law states, "As an online discussion continues, the probability of a reference or comparison to Hitler or to Nazis approaches 1." Mike Godwin created the law, as he felt that the overuse of Hitler and the Nazis in discussions demeaned the impact of what actually happened in the Holocaust. This law has been used with online discussions to end threads. If someone brings up Hitler or the Nazis, he or she "loses" the argument.

I really like the concept of this law, as people too often throw out Nazis in an argument to attempt to prove their point. Often, it is a sign of laziness or intellectual deficiency. The person isn't able to assemble his or her thoughts and arguments in a clear and cogent manner, and fall back on Hitler or the Nazis to defend their point. This typically illustrates that the person has a poor understanding of either the historical significance of Nazism or the point that he or she is arguing.

During the recent election, TV and radio show host Rachel Maddow, proposed a corollary to Godwin's law that states, "As the time a liberal candidate is believed to be winning an election or argument increases, the probability that they will be labeled communist or socialist approaches 1." I have been quite amused at how often I have heard President-elect Barack Obama called a communist, socialist, and even a Nazi. If you truly think about the irony behind this, it makes you chuckle.