Subject: Simplex: Kicking off debate
From: Mueller <mueller4@sonic.net>
Date: Saturday, September 12, 1998 04:42:57

What is the dispostion of whatever it is that occurs as a result of Law 115?

It says: "Whatever is not prohibited or regulated by a law is permitted and
unregulated, with the sole exception of changing the laws, which is
permitted only when a law or set of laws explicitly or implicitly permits it."

It seems that one interpretation of this holds that this means that someone
can do something. Then a second person can do something later ignoring the
first person's action due to there being no system for determining this.
Anarchy is eternal until ended by law.

I hold that this interpretation of Law 115 is flawed.

Remember, it says "WHATEVER is not prohibited or regulated by a law is
PERMITTED" it puts no limits on this. What if someone decrees that every
time a player uses a noun in a public post, they must put "the glorious
satchmo" in front of it? This is an action which circumscribes future
events. Under the eternal anarchy interpretation this would not happen.

I hold that for the eternal anarchy interpretation to be correct, it would
have to say "Whatever is not prohibited or regulated by a law is permitted
and unregulated, EXCEPT DOING ANYTHING WHICH LIMITS THE ACTION OF ANOTHER
CITIZEN, OR changing the laws which is permitted only when a law or set of
laws explicitly or implicitly permits it."

I think that the failure to include this provision or one like it indicates
that the law really does mean anything is permitted including the
construction of schemes which prevent "anything" from happening again.

Things which happen according to Law 115 become binding by the authority of
Law 115. Joining the game implies a willingness to follow the rules. If
there was a rule that all players had to vote YES on each proposition with
a prime number, we would do so. Similarly I believe that we must vote as
indicated by the 115 permitted actions which circumscribe how we can vote
if we choose to do so. Unless future actions change the situation with MMM
and The Mind of the People, proposition 1002 must be affirmed and become law.