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Writer's pictureKathryn

Godwin's Law

Updated: Jun 16, 2021

Created by Mike Godwin in 1990. Short for 'Godwin's law of Nazi analogies', an Internet adage asserting that:


"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1".

Latin for "reduction to Hitler", also known as 'playing the Nazi card'. an attempt to invalidate someone else's position on the basis that the same view was held by Adolf Hitler or the Nazi Party.


The suggested rationale is one of guilt by association. It is a tactic often used to derail arguments because such comparisons tend to distract and anger the opponent.


Coined by Leo Strauss in 1953.

Examples:



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