[s-b] Answer to Consultation 119

[Justin Ahmann <quesmarktion@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I Answer Consultation 119 YES.

Reasoning:  Pancake does not specify any way for Pancake to be changed, other than through

1) Submitting a Suggestion

2) Having a Suggestion take effect

3) Another Branch of Pancake being changed, resulting in the updating of Pancake (which is a Branch of Pancake).

Submitting a Suggestion has no effect, other than to open the Suggestion for voting.  No Suggestion has taken effect, as Pancake is less than one week old.  For another Branch of Pancake's changes to affect Pancake, then Pancake must be (as Pancake says)

updat[ing] to reflect the change.

The key word here is "reflect."  Using a dictionary I have close by, I find that the (transitive verb) definition of "reflect" is

To bend back; to turn, cast, or direct back; to throw off after striking or falling on any surface, and in accordance with certain physical laws (to reflect light, heat, or sound); to give back an image or likeness of; to mirror.

Only the last two definitions apply here.  When a Branch of Pancake is changed, the other Branches of Pancake thus update to "give back an image or likeness of" the changes, or update to "mirror" the changes.  I will use the second of these definitions.

Consulting the same dictionary, I find that "mirror" means

To furnish with mirrors; to reflect as in a mirror.

As the first of these makes no sense, I will use the second.  Pancake must thus update to reflect the changes applied to it as in a mirror.  A mirror casts back the light it reflects, so Pancake would update to cast back the changes to another Branch of Pancake.  This would mean that Pancake updates itself to change the changed Branch of Pancake.

However, if the changed Branch of Pancake is a Contract in B Nomic, Pancake cannot do this, as Rule 2 says

Game Objects can only be created, destroyed, or modified if allowed by the Rules, in a manner explicitly governed by the Rules.

Modifying a Contract through use of another Contract is not governed by the Rules, and thus is impossible.  Pancake would be unable to update itself to reflect the changes, but the Contract says that it does update itself to reflect the changes.  I would have to answer this Consultation PARADOX, as there is no mechanism for resolving factual conflicts between Rules and other Game Documents.

However, Waffles does not consist of the Articles of Pancake (as defined by Pancake); it only contains them.  Thus, the argument above is moot, and Pancake has been unaffected as a result of Hose's dismemberment of Waffles.

The Answer is YES.

Codae
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