spoon-discuss: CFJ: The clock...

["Jonathan Van Matre" <JVanMatre@xxxxxxxx>]

ANALYSIS:
Due to an error in forethought on the part of the clock/watch proposal,
the clock now (validly, wrt the proposal) reads nweek 3, even though
this is supposed to be nweek 4.

Note the following, from Proposal 158/1:
"At the time that this amendment takes effect, the number of days on the
Clock shall be set to 0, the number of nweeks shall be set to 3, and the
word 'day' in all rules shall be changed to 'nday'. The last paragraph
of this rule will then delete itself."

Thus we find ourselves in nweek 3 again, because the amendment took
effect (as all amendments must under current rules) AFTER the end of
nweek 3, and therefore AFTER the point at which the clock would have
incremented.  Even if it had taken effect before 00:00:00 UTC (which it
could not, since voting was still open), it would have incremented to
nweek 3, nday 1, NOT nweek 4, nday 0.

Under Rule 17/0, which says "Events may occur only in the present, and
may not alter the past." and  32/1, which notes that "Proposals may not
take effect retroactively." this has the makings of a time paradox, and
a violation of the rules.  Rule 204/0 may also apply, but as it has a
higher rule number, rule 158 will take precedence over it.

Still, I suggest that repeating nweek 3 would effectively result in
events altering the past, and proposals taking effect retroactively, and
call for judgement on the following statements.

Since the game state is currently undefined in Rule 152, and further
under the Permissibility of the Unprohibited, the Administrator should
have power to act as prescribed in the first statement since the clock
is not necessarily part of the game state.  The only alternative I see
is to repeal Proposal 158/1 in its entirety, but perhaps the judge will
get creative.

I name the author of Proposal 158/1, Wonko, as defendant.

STATEMENT 1:
The clock should be updated by the Administrator to read the appropriate
nweek and nday at time of judgement on this statement, as if the clock
had read nweek 4, nday 0 at 00:00:00 UTC at the end of nweek 3.  

STATEMENT 2:
If Statement 1 is ruled False or Undecided, then Proposal 158 should be
repealed in toto.

--Scoff!