Question regarding the No Limits Fallacy?

[Mecha Hardware]

In case someone is on the dark on this: The No Limits Fallacy (henceforth abbreviated NLF) has been popularized across the power-scale community.

I heard that the NLF was popularized on this board, so I decided to register and see if there's anyone with some insight into this.

Through some Google-fu I managed to come across the Star Destroyer Wiki where the article on NLF which was created on 2008, but there were references to NLF far earlier than that on this board (2004 was the earliest I could find with Google).

Using the search function, and the earliest use of the phrase I could find was this.

Can you say "No Limits Fallacy"?

XaLEv hasn't posted since 2019, so I'm not sure if there's a point in sending him a PM and confirm whether he came up with the term or not.

Since then there are plenty of references to the NLF.

So my question is: Did XaLEv coin the term "No Limits Fallacy?" Because from his reply he seems to insinuate that he's talking about a preexisting concept. And if not, who did?

Thanks, Jeff.

[Dominus Atheos]

Not that I have any insight to the actual question, I can tell just from the date that he's probably referencing something from the old usenet group "alt.startrek.vs.starwars" that this forum is originally split off from. Way before my (or nearly anyone's) time though.

[Formless]

On Mike's "main" website that this forum is technically an accessory to, he instead refers to it as the "superhero-style mentality" because, well, not to put too fine a point on it but comic book writers tend not to think about limits, and when they do they usually see them as a challenge for the character to (trivially) overcome by some powerup or force of will. Most people here don't do superhero VS debates for this reason, too much inconsistency. But yeah, that's the earliest reference to the fallacy by name that you are going to find on the board. Any earlier and you will have to look into Usenet posts, which might be tricky to research but not impossible. Or you could email Mike and ask him if he remembers if the term was being used on Usenet back in the day; while he hasn't posted anything for years except confirmations that he's updated the board software, he's very much alive or else this forum would have gone offline by now (the server is still housed in his basement as far as I know). Tell him you are asking for posterity/history's sake and I'm sure he won't mind being bothered about it.

Edit: I will note that the next usage of the term that I can find by searching is in the Star Wars VS Star Trek subforum, only a month later and by a different person, so I would bet you it was coined on Usenet.

[Mecha Hardware]

Cool.

On a forum called spacebattles I found a link to a Google Groups from 2021, but it has been removed since.



Here's the link for reference.

http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq& ... s.starwars

I can't seem to find the link to Mike's email anywhere. If anyone is at the liberty to share it then feel free to post it or PM me.

[Korto]

It also seems to be a re-name of the more formal "Proof By Example Fallacy". This is a fallacy that I would think any engineer would be instinctively aware of.

"Since I can suspend a motorbike from a single m8 bolt, and I can suspend a car from a single m8 bolt, then I can suspend a truck from a single m8 bolt!"