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Comment by rmrfrmrf | Hacker News Reader

> I mean, when I read titles like this I think to myself, "Who gives a shit?"...then I read a long thread and think, "Wow, this is actually a real debate."

May I interest you in some further reading? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet_paper_orientation

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For both two spaces and and toilet paper, the heart of the issue is not that it's the slightest bit important, but that one's own preference is always so blindingly obviously correct.

With things that have functional differences, one way is definitionally "better". They can't be the same and they aren't merely aesthetic preferences. ("over" and one-space are proper).

Now you're thinking about the nominal definition of "better", but I think you underestimate the scope of and importance people give to aesthetics.

But none of that really matters because in the next ontological step we question the definition of definitions. [1] And if you look into it, the smartest people in history haven't really gotten any closer to putting debates like these to rest.

[1]http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/definitions/

For example, I butter my bread butter-side up, which is obviously correct, but Zooks prefer butter-side down. Something really ought to be done about them.

For HNers who may have missed it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Butter_Battle_Book

I'm truly amazed by both the length of that article, and the number of references.

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