I sent this to the business mailing list, but it’s not showing up on
the website archive... sending it again in case it didn’t go
through.
Begin forwarded message:
From: "D. Margaux" <dmargaux...@gmail.com> Date: October 16, 2018 at
3:37:19 PM EDT To: agora-busin...@agoranomic.org Subject: Reinstated
CFJ Decision re Left||Right
I have revised the Left||Right proposal CFJ decision, and I re-issue
it as follows:
***
CFJ judged TRUE: "At least one person won the game as a result
proposal 8097 taking effect."
Judge's Arguments:
The text of Proposal 8097 (reproduced in full in the Evidence
section) is split into two sections by a horizontal line of double
pipe marks (||). The left side of the proposal contains text
purporting to mark the entire right side as a comment; the right side
contains text purporting to mark the entire left side as a comment.
The basic question presented here is what, if any, text in the
proposal is a comment and what, if any, text is actually operative.
Rule 2429 (Bleach) provides a promising, but ultimately unsuccessful,
method of cutting the Gordian knot. That Rule provides that
"[r]eplacing a non-zero amount of whitespace with a different
non-zero amount of whitespace is generally insignificant, except for
paragraph breaks." Potentially, applying Bleach could permit us to
transform this language:
In this proposal, any text to the || In this proposal, any text
to the right of double pipe marks are || left of double pipe
marks are comments with no effect. || comments with no
effect.
into this nonsensical language:
In this proposal, any text to the || In this proposal, any text to
the right of double pipe marks are || left of double pipe marks are
comments with no effect. || comments with no effect.
If that were permitted, then we presumably would ignore the
nonsensical statement above, and the rest of the Proposal would
operate as written.
In my view, that interpretation does not work. The Bleach Rule says
that the substitution of differing non-zero amounts of whitespace is
_generally_ insignificant--implying that it is not _always_
insignificant. This is, in my view, one situation where the
substitution of whitespace is significant. In particular, when
viewed in plain text, an ordinary Agoran reader would perceive the
pipe-marks splitting the proposal down the middle, and would read
each side separately. That effect is created by the use of precise
amounts of whitespace. Adding or subtracting whitespace in this case
would fundamentally change what the text signifies to an ordinary
Agoran reader and is, therefore, quite literally "significant."
Applying the definition of "comments" in Rule 106 (Adopting
Proposals) provides a more sound method of determining the effect of
this proposal. Under that Rule, "[c]learly marked comments are
considered removed from the proposal before it takes effect, unless
otherwise stated by the proposal." In CFJ 3659, Judge Aris recently
addressed the meaning of the word "clear," suggesting that "the word
'clearly' can mean 'unambiguously,' but just as often it means
'obviously.'"
In this instance, each side of the Proposal purports to "mark" the
other side as a comment that should be disregarded; and both sides
cannot simultaneously successfully mark the other as a comment,
because then all of the text that performs the comment marking would
itself be removed from the Proposal, thereby unmarking the previously
commented text. Nor is it obvious or unambiguous, from ordinary
language, game custom,or any other source, whether the left side
should take priority over the right, or vice versa.
In light of that situation, it is my view that the Proposal taken as
a whole does not unambiguously or obviously mark either side as a
"comment," and as a result, no part of the Proposal is a "comment" to
be removed before it takes effect.
The next section of the proposal provides:
The following players win the game: || The following players win
the game: Corona || Publius Scribonius
Scholasticus Cuddle Beam || VJ Rada Trigon
|| Murphy G. || omd Aris
|| twg ATMunn || D. Margaux
Because there is no successful comment marking, it is my view that
both the left and right sides of that text is operative.
This leads to another question: CAN a player win the game by
proposal? Under Rule 106 (Adopting Proposals), "[w]hen a decision
about whether to adopt a proposal is resolved, if the outcome is
ADOPTED, then the proposal in question is adopted, and unless other
rules prevent it from taking effect, its power is set to the minimum
of four and its adoption index, and then it takes effect." As a
result, a proposal CAN cause a player to win the game "unless other
rules prevent it from taking effect."
It was suggested that Rule 2449 (Winning the Game) might "prevent" a
win by proposal, but I do not believe it does. Rule 2449 says that
"[w]hen the Rules state that a person or persons win the game, those
persons win the game; specifically they win the Round that ends with
the indicated win." Here, Rule 106 is implicitly the "Rule[] [that]
state[s] that a person or persons win the game," because it gives
effect to a proposal that so provided. In addition, Rule 2449 does
not say that it is the exclusive means for players to win the game,
and thus it does not "prevent [the proposal] from taking effect"
under Rule 106.
One Rule, however, does prevent certain players from winning the
game. Rule 2556 (Penalties) provides that, "Rules to the contrary
notwithstanding, an impure person CANNOT win the game." At the time
of the proposal's passage, Corona, V.J. Rada, Murphy, Publius
Scribonius Scholasticus, ATMunn, and Trigon were all impure, and
under Rule 2556 they cannot win the game.
As a result, by passage of Proposal 8097, it is my view that Cuddle
Beam, G., Aris, omd, twg, and D. Margaux have won the game.
JUDGED TRUE.
Caller's Evidence:
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Title: Left||Right Adoption index: 1.0 Author: G. Co-authors:
In this proposal, any text to the || In this proposal, any text
to the right of double pipe marks are || left of double pipe
marks are comments with no effect. || comments with no
effect. || The following players win the game: || The following
players win the game: Corona ||
Publius Scribonius Scholasticus Cuddle Beam
|| VJ Rada Trigon || Murphy G.
|| omd Aris || twg ATMunn
|| D. Margaux
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Relevant Rules:
Rule 2429/1 (Power=1.0) Bleach
Replacing a non-zero amount of whitespace with a different non-zero
amount of whitespace is generally insignificant, except for paragraph
breaks.
Rule 106/40 (Power=3) Adopting Proposals
When a decision about whether to adopt a proposal is resolved, if the
outcome is ADOPTED, then the proposal in question is adopted, and
unless other rules prevent it from taking effect, its power is set to
the minimum of four and its adoption index, and then it takes effect.
. . . Clearly marked comments are considered to be removed from the
proposal before it takes effect, unless otherwise stated by the
proposal. . . .
Rule 2449/3 (Power=3) Winning the Game
When the Rules state that a person or persons win the game, those
persons win the game; specifically they win the Round that ends with
the indicated win. . . .
Rule 2556/0 (Power=3) Penalties
Rules to the contrary notwithstanding, an impure person CANNOT win
the game. . . .
