J(32) 16.iii.1998

Call for Judgement

Ian Collier made the following Call for Judgement:

  • Simon's Judgement is equally legal and illegal.
  • Simon's Judgement is illegal.
  • Simon's Judgement is legal.
This statement will be deemed to have been judged TRUE if the Judge finds that the first option is correct. If this happens then the game will (in theory) end.

Illegal Judgements

The Judge selected was Stephen Gower:

Judgement J(32a)

Simon's Judgement is illegal.

Judgement J(32b)

Simon's Judgement is legal.

Recorder's commentary

Despite any inapplicability it may have, its place in OxNomic history will be assured though because it appeared to bring us to the end of the game under rule 219 (Stalemate). Ian Collier supplied the following bit of post to ox.games.nomic:

We have now reached stalemate and the game is over.

Justification 1: the above says that Simon's Judgement is equally legal and illegal, thus giving a result of TRUE as originally specified.

Justification 2: if we call for Judgement on this then the Judge, it would appear, can now return two opposite judgements and we will be no closer to the truth. Hence stalemate.

I blame you, yes YOU, Mr Batchelor...

There was an ensuing Appeal on J(31) and it was overturned.

Legal Judgement

As a result of J(35), which declared the above Judgements illegal, the Recorder selected a new Judge, which turned out to be himself, Colin Batchelor, and he supplied doublequick the Judgement:

Simon's Judgement is illegal.

And that, with any luck, brought the whole sorry affair to an end.

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Created 16.iii.1998, last amended 26.iii.1998 by Colin Batchelor, OxNomic Recorder