[EM] Markus reply

[Markus Schulze]

Dear Mike,

I wrote (25 Feb 2005):
> You were asked several times to define WDSC, SDSC,
> and FBC in terms of cast preferences. You always
> refused to do so.
>
> And whenever someone submitted a definition for WDSC,
> SDSC or FBC in terms of cast preferences and asked you
> whether his definition corresponds with your intention
> of this criterion, you always refused to answer.

You wrote (26 Feb 2005):
> It isn't that I refused to define WDSC, SDSC & FBC
> without mentioning preferences. It's just that a
> criterion defined in that way would be a different
> criterion. It wouldn't be WDSC, SDSC, or FBC.

So you say that it is impossible to define WDSC, SDSC,
and FBC in terms of cast preferences? Then I doubt that
WDSC, SDSC, and FBC are well defined.

You wrote (26 Feb 2005):
> However, I graciously and generously invited you to
> define such a criterion if you want to. At no time
> did I say that such a criterion couldn't or shouldn't
> be defined. I just assigned the task to you, since
> you're the one who wants such a criterion.

However, whenever someone submitted a definition for
WDSC, SDSC or FBC in terms of cast preferences and
asked you whether his definition corresponds with
your intention of this criterion, you always refused
to answer. So your "invitation" is a fake.

Discussing with you is like this:

A: "I spent my vacations in Washington."
B: "Do you mean 'Washington state' or 'Washington, DC'?"
A: "Call it as you want to call it. I call it 'Washington'.
   I could say 'Washington state' or 'Washington, DC';
   but this wouldn't be the same as saying 'Washington'.
   Are you trying to say that 'Washington' is unclear?
   If that's what you mean, then you should say it. And then,
   when saying it, you should demonstrate what is unclear
   about 'Washington'. If you believe that it isn't clear
   whether 'Washington' means 'Washington state' or
   'Washington, DC' then I invite you to ask me whether I
   mean 'Washington state' or 'Washington, DC'; but I won't
   answer to your question. I just assign this task to you,
   since you're the one who wants to know whether 'Washington'
   is 'Washington state' or 'Washington, DC'. When you ask me
   whether I mean 'Washington state' or 'Washington, DC' then
   my answer is no. Saying that I was in 'Washington' is
   not the same as saying that I was in 'Washington state'.
   Saying that I was in 'Washington' is not the same as
   saying that I was in 'Washington, DC'. (Bla bla bla bla
   ad nauseam.)"

*********

You wrote (26 Feb 2005):
> Steve Eppley and I devised SSD and posted about it here.
> You probably had already posted a definition of CSSD, or
> something at least resembling a definition of CSSD, but
> neither of us had paid attention to it or knew about it
> at that time.

The very first time that the term "Schwartz sequential
dropping" (SSD) was being used was on 18 Feb 2000 in
a mail by you. Already in this mail, you wrote that
"SSD is equivalent to Schulze's method". Therefore, it
can hardly be said that you "devised" SSD. You only
introduced a new name for an already known method.

Markus Schulze