Comment by sangnoir
3 years ago
> This proves that deliberately bad instructions produce bad results. That's not surprising.
Here's a common example from real life: "No pornography". Even SCOTUS famously couldn't define obscenity ("I know it when I see it")
Is “No pornography” a rule? It doesn’t specify any prohibited action and on its own isn’t a complete thought, let alone a rule.
“I know it when I see it” was in reference to _hardcore pornography_, not obscenity. The Miller Test deals with obscenity perfectly well.
> Is “No pornography” a rule? It doesn’t specify any prohibited action and on its own isn’t a complete thought, let alone a rule.
If you were to open a subreddit, or walk up to a library computer/print shop counter and saw "No Pornography" under rules - would you be unable to figure out what's being asked of you? If so, then that seems like a complete thought and a perfectly comprehendible rule to me.
It’s a legitimate definition though. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. There are many fundamental things that can’t be defined, where we have to rely on social norms and common sense.