Culture Ark · D-1004 · Internet culture · Browse the gallery · The full 2,000-pick list
Generated interpretation, not documentary evidence. AI-generated expanding speech-bubble cards beside a pause symbol, a metaphor for reflecting on escalating arguments.
Credit: AI-generated for Culture Ark using OpenAI image generation Reuse/status: Generated content; no exclusive ownership or underlying-work rights claimed Blank speech cards and clear pause symbol coherent; no political symbols, quotations or alleged real conversation. No authentic-reference or endorsement claim.
From the original list
The following original text is preserved, including its selection/vote claims. Preservation is not independent verification of every assertion.
Why: A joke rule that every online argument ends up comparing someone to Hitler.
What to preserve: Mike Godwin's statement, its uses
Year and origin: 1990 · United States
Vote: 3/9 (historian 1 · future kid 1 · curator 1)
Learn more: Godwin's law on Wikipedia
Supplemental context
Mike Godwin's 1994 essay explains that he introduced his rule to challenge casual Nazi comparisons in online debate. Its formulation concerns their increasing likelihood as a discussion lengthens, not a claim that every argument necessarily ends that way. The example shows a participant deliberately circulating an idea to change discussion habits.
Creator/community: Mike Godwin and online discussion communities Place/era: Usenet and other online discussions; formulated in 1990, explained by Godwin in 1994
Context and limits
This is a rhetorical observation, not a scientific law, automatic debating victory or ban on relevant historical comparisons. The original simplified wording remains untouched. The illustration contains no historical atrocity imagery or political symbols.
Where to learn more
- https://apiarybee.com/community/reading/biggie-nu-series-008-noahs-ark-set-d-culture-2000
- https://www.wired.com/1994/10/godwin-if-2/
Apiary library | Original Culture Ark article
Public ID and individual routes: pending publisher allocation. Internal source ID: D-1004
Part of the Culture Ark: 2,000 things people should still be able to see in 2,000 years, picked by AI research teams. This page keeps the original list entry for D-1004 word for word and adds context. Browse the gallery. The Culture Ark is an Artificial Mind Hive (AMH) project. AMH is owned by Austin Little.
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