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alternate_history:max_s_first_law [2011/10/22 06:25] – Petike | alternate_history:max_s_first_law [2019/03/29 15:13] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1 |
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====== Max's First Law ====== | ====== Max's First Law ====== |
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==== Origin of the Term ==== | ==== Origin of the term ==== |
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Coined [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=114658|here]]. | Coined [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=114658|here]]. |
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**Max's First Law:** If you ISOT something from the future into the past, the result is a **[[offtopic:Wank]]**. | **Max's First Law:** If you **[[ISOT]]** something from the future into the past, the result is a **[[alternate history:wank]]**. |
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**Corollary to the above:** The greater the technological and social advantage of the changed societies in question, the greater the wank. | **Corollary to the above:** The greater the technological and social advantage of the changed societies in question, the greater the wank. |
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| ==== Comments from the creator ==== |
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| Originally used in a joking context by [[offtopic:blue_max|Blue Max]] at the link posted above, Max's First Law is, while perhaps not an absolute truth, at least a //prima facie// guideline that's true in most cases. The factors behind the wank would be: |
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| **1.) Technological Advantage**. A society or group from the future knows how to do more things more efficiently than people in the past do. Even an advantage of the last 20 years would be a very serious affair. Generally, a technological edge holds unless the ISOT is between a nation pre and post collapse. |
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| **2.) Foresight**. Knowing what happens in the Past, at least before the butterfly effect becomes dominant, can provide critical advantages. In this regard, even an ISOT to yesterday can be a strong boon. |
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| **3.) Access to Increased Resources**. Past societies have more non-reusable resources available than are available in the present. This means that more oil, coal, and groundwater can be used for a nation (or group, society, or relevant term.) |
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| These three factors tend to make most ISOTs wanks; and in general, the further in the past the ISOT, the greater the wank. This premise is perhaps simple common sense, but despite this observation, ISOTs remain common ASB threads. |
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| ==== Criticism ==== |
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==== Comments from the creator ==== | This approach is not upheld by [[Harry Turtledove]] (in, e.g., //[[guns of the south|The Guns of the South]]//) and is also strongly objected to by [[offtopic:Thande]] as anachronic prejudice (or "time-ism" as the writers of //[[163x|1632]]// call it). [[offtopic:Thande]]'s own story series **//[[offtopic:Complete Works of Thande#There'll Always Be An England]]//** originated as an attempt to show how ridiculous this idea is by having the past defeat the present. |
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Originally used in a joking context by [[offtopic:blue_max|Blue Max]] at the link posted above, Max's First Law is, while perhaps not an absolute truth, at least a prima facie guideline that's true in most cases. The factors behind the wank would be: | ---- |
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1. **Technological Advantage**. A society or group from the future knows how to do more things more efficiently than people in the past do. Even an advantage of the last 20 years would be a very serious affair. Generally, a technological edge holds unless the ISOT is between a nation pre and post collapse. | ==== See Also ==== |
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2. **Foresight**. Knowing what happens in the Past, at least before the butterfly effect becomes dominant, can provide critical advantages. In this regard, even an ISOT to yesterday can be a strong boon. | **[[Alien Space Bats]]** |
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3. **Access to Increased Resources**. Past societies have more non-reusable resources available than are available in the present. This means that more oil, coal, and groundwater can be used for a nation (or group, society, or relevant term.) | **[[ISOT]]** |
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These three factors tend to make most ISOTs wanks; and in general, the further in the past the ISOT, the greater the wank. This premise is perhaps simple common sense, but despite this observation, ISOTs remain common ASB threads. | **[[Wank]]** |
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==== Criticism ==== | ==== Navigation ==== |
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This approach is not upheld by [[Harry Turtledove]] (in, e.g., //The Guns of the South//) and is also strongly objected to by [[offtopic:Thande]] as anachronic prejudice (or "time-ism" as the writers of //1632// call it). His work //[[offtopic:Complete Works of Thande#There'll Always Be An England]]// originated as an attempt to show how ridiculous this idea is by having the past defeat the present. | **[[alternate history:alternate history|Alternate History Topics Section Main Directory]]** |