Poe's Law
- “what is poes law”
- “is this satire or real”
- “poes law explained”
- “who was poe”
:: COMPARE ::
Poe's lawvsGodwin's law
The short answer
Both are 'internet laws', but Godwin's is a statistical prediction about what will appear in a long thread. Poe's is an epistemic limit on what a reader can determine. One forecasts; the other forbids.
Side by side
| Aspect | Poe's law | Godwin's law |
|---|---|---|
| Type of claim | Epistemic limit | Statistical prediction |
| About | What you can know | What will appear |
| Stated | 2005 | 1990 |
| Deliberately seeded | No | Yes |
Which one you meant
Readers who land here meaning Poe's Law rather than Godwin's law are usually searching for phrases like “what is poes law”, “is this satire or real”, “poes law explained”.
Godwin's Law
- “what is godwins law”
- “does mentioning hitler lose the argument”
- “who is mike godwin”
- “godwins law meaning”
Which came first
Poe's law. 2 December 1983 — Jerry Schwarz's Usenet post makes the same argument 22 years earlier: submit satire without a smiley and do not be surprised if people take it seriously.
- 2 December 1983Poe's LawJerry Schwarz's Usenet post makes the same argument 22 years earlier: submit satire without a smiley and do not be surprised if people take it seriously.
- 1990Godwin's LawMike Godwin introduces it on Usenet as a 'natural law of Usenet'.
Read either one in full