Poster: Mutakmien at 2006-06-19 12:32:34
Subject: A real test |
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We're supposed to be testing these forums, so let's test 'em. Reply to this thread with a large amount of text. Just go find a wall of text and paste it here. The idea is to make a thread as big as possible with as many replies as possible.
Remember to follow the TOS for the boards. ;)
Note: Just noticed a warning message comes up when you go past 5000 characters in your post.
Nothing eats up characters better than lagalese!
Q u o t e:
Begin Wall of Text:
WORLD OF WARCRAFT(R) TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT
Last Updated June 2, 2005
IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.
THIS IS A LEGAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC. BY CLICKING "ACCEPT" BELOW, YOU ACCEPT ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO ACCEPT THIS AGREEMENT, YOU SHOULD CLICK "REJECT." IF YOU REJECT THIS AGREEMENT WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER FIRST PURCHASING THE WORLD OF WARCRAFT SOFTWARE, YOU MAY CONTACT BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT'S CUSTOMER SERVICE AT (800) 592-5499 TO ARRANGE TO RETURN THE WORLD OF WARCRAFT SOFTWARE FOR A FULL REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE. IN THE EVENT THAT YOU ESTABLISHED AN ACCOUNT MORE THAN THIRTY (30) DAYS AGO AND DO NOT WISH TO ACCEPT THIS AGREEMENT, PLEASE REFER TO SECTION 10.
Welcome to Blizzard Entertainment's massively multi-player on-line role-playing game, World of Warcraft(r) ("World of Warcraft"). World of Warcraft is the copyrighted work of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, United States of America, or its suppliers or licensors (collectively, "Blizzard Entertainment"), and all use of Blizzard Entertainment's proprietary World of Warcraft on-line service (the "Service") is governed by the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement, including any future revisions (hereafter referred to as the "Terms of Use" or "Agreement"). This Agreement is in addition to, and does not replace or supplant, the End User License Agreement that accompanied the World of Warcraft software (the "EULA") and to which the World of Warcraft software is subject. Any use of World of Warcraft not in accordance with the Terms of Use is expressly prohibited. You represent that you are a 'natural person' who is over the age of eighteen (18) years old, or over the age of majority in the country where you are a citizen, and agree to these Terms of Use on behalf of yourself and, at your discretion, for one (1) minor child for whom you are a parent or guardian and whom you have authorized to use the account you create on the Service (the "Account").
1. Establishment of a World of Warcraft Account.
A. You may establish one (1) user account (the "Account") with which to play World of Warcraft by accessing the Service pursuant to the terms, conditions and restrictions contained in this Agreement. In order to establish an Account, you must be a 'Natural Person,' who is the age of majority in the country where you are a citizen. Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, partnerships, or any other form of legal entity other than that of a "natural person" may not establish an account, and by accepting this Agreement, you hereby represent and warrant that you meet these eligibility requirements. You may not share the Account with anyone, except that if you are a parent or guardian, you may permit one (1) minor child to use the Account when not in use by you. You are liable for all uses of the Account. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, you acknowledge and agree that you shall have no ownership or other property interest in the Account, and you further acknowledge and agree that all rights in and to the Account are and shall forever be owned by Blizzard Entertainment.
B. To register an Account to play World of Warcraft, you will be required to provide Blizzard Entertainment with: (i) your name, address and phone number; (ii) the "Authentication Key" from the World of Warcraft Software you purchased; (iii) accurate, complete, and updated billing information for payment of the Service subscription fee. Failure to comply with the foregoing or to update the foregoing if your contact information or billing information changes shall constitute a breach of this Agreement, which may result in the immediate termination and deletion of the Account. As such, it is imperative that you provide Blizzard Entertainment with accurate, up to date information. In the event that Blizzard Entertainment learns that you have provided false or misleading registration information, Blizzard Entertainment reserves the right to immediately terminate and disable or delete the Account.
C. You hereby agree to pay all charges incurred by the Account, including applicable taxes, in accordance with billing terms for access to the Service that are in effect at the time that the fee or charge becomes payable. Your right to access to the Service is subject to any limi
edit: Didn't do the quote originally and some of the text got truncated.
[ Post edited by Mutakmien ]
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| | http://beta.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=10972119&pageNo=1&sid=1#0 | | |
Poster: tseric at 2006-06-19 12:55:53
Subject: Re: A real test |
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Argumentum ad populum
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An argumentum ad populum (Latin: "appeal to the people"), in logic, is a fallacious argument that concludes a proposition to be true because many or all people believe it; it alleges that "If many believe so, it is so." In ethics this argument is stated, "if many find it acceptable, it is acceptable."
This type of argument is known by several names[1], including appeal to belief, appeal to the majority, appeal to the people, argument by consensus, authority of the many, bandwagon fallacy, and tyranny of the majority, and in Latin by the names argumentum ad populum ("appeal to the people"), argumentum ad numerum ("appeal to the number"), and consensus gentium ("agreement of the clans"). It is also the basis of a number of social phenomena, including communal reinforcement and the bandwagon effect, and of the Chinese proverb "three men make a tiger".
Contents
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* 1 Examples
* 2 Explanation
o 2.1 Evidence
* 3 Exceptions
o 3.1 Democracy
o 3.2 Cultural relativity
o 3.3 Safety
* 4 References
* 5 See also
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Examples
This fallacy is sometimes committed while trying to convince a person that a widely popular theory is true.
* Since 88% of the people polled believed in UFOs, they must exist.
It is sometimes committed when trying to convince a person that widely unpopular theories are false.
* It's silly for you to claim that Hitler would not have attacked the United States if they hadn't entered World War II. Everyone knows that he planned to conquer the world.
The fallacy is commonly found in arguments over ethics:
* Most Americans hold that the Vietnam War was morally wrong. Therefore, the Vietnam War was morally wrong.
The fallacy is also commonly found in marketing:
* Brand X vacuums are the leading brand in America. You should buy Brand X vacuums.
Others examples: * - The life of the law has not been logic, but experience. - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (see also appeal to authority)
* - Fifty million Elvis fans can't be wrong.
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Explanation
The argumentum ad populum is a red herring and genetic fallacy. It is logically fallacious because the mere fact that a belief is widely held is not necessarily a guarantee that the belief is correct; if the belief of any individual can be wrong, then the belief held by multiple persons can also be wrong.
This fallacy is similar in structure to certain other fallacies that involve a confusion between the justification of a belief and its widespread acceptance by a given group of people. When an argument uses the appeal to the beliefs of a group of supposed experts, it takes on the form of an appeal to authority; if the appeal is to the beliefs of a group of respected elders or the members of one's community over a long period of time, then it takes on the form of an appeal to tradition.
One who commits this fallacy may assume that individuals commonly analyze and edit their beliefs and behaviors. This is often not the case (see conformity).
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Evidence
* One could claim that smoking is a healthy pastime, since millions of people do it. However, knowing the dangers of smoking, we instead say that smoking is not a healthy pastime despite the fact that millions do it.
* One could claim that 13 is an "unlucky" number, since many people (triskaidekaphobes) believe it to be. However, the association of any number with the concept of luck is a superstition.
* One could claim that Christopher Columbus sailed in 1492 to prove the world round, since many people believe this to be true, but historians agree that this was not his motivation.
* One could claim Brad Pitt is the best-looking man in the world, because he is regularly voted such, although the sample he is part of (celebrities) is insufficient. He came first in the poll, so he must be the best-looking man.
* One could claim that slavery is ethically acceptable because many households own slaves. For instance, slavery was once common in the United States, yet few Americans today would consider it ethical.
Champagne for my real friends; real pain for my sham friends.
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| | http://beta.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=10972119&pageNo=1&sid=1#8 |
Poster: tseric at 2006-06-19 12:56:29
Subject: Re: A real test |
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Exceptions
Appeal to belief is only valid when the question is whether the belief exists. Appeal to popularity is therefore only valid when the questions are whether the belief is widespread and to what degree.
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Democracy
The "correctness" of electoral processes lies in the prior acceptance by the electorate that the outcome of an election shall be enacted no matter what it is.
* "Most of the voting members at the last Rotary Club meeting thought that the Club should hold a fund-raiser in October. Therefore, the Club should hold a fund-raiser in October."
Democracy by plural voting is based on appeal to popularity. As a means of determining the truth of beliefs, it is fallacious. Democracy does not obviate this; it merely makes the fallacy irrelevant by defining law as subjective rather than objective*. Nonetheless, acceptance of policies and candidates have been shown to be well-correlated with their effectiveness (cf. Approval voting). As a system of political decisionmaking, electoral systems compare favorably against fiat systems such as feudalism and pseudo-democracies such as one-party rule. (Though the astute will note that this is a circular argument: Democracy is good because people living in a democracy say so.)
Argumentum ad populum explains how some democracies have fallen victim to this principle. (See Propaganda and !*!# Germany.)
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Cultural relativity
The "correctness" of social convention lies in the acceptance of innocuous tradition and the subjective nature of the definition of social convention:
* "Most people in Russia think that it is polite for men to kiss each other in greeting. Therefore, it is polite for men to kiss each other in greeting in Russia."
Note however that social conventions change as attitudes change, sometimes as quickly as the fashion season changes.
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Safety
Whether to follow a tenet decided by popularity rather than logical design may be a matter of safety or convenience:
* "Nearly all Americans think that you should drive on the right side of the road. Therefore, you should drive on the right side of the road in the United States."
Champagne for my real friends; real pain for my sham friends.
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