Marburger: During your tenure in the computer department at the Recorder's office, has the Recorder's office had photocopying machines?Cavanagh: Objection.
Marburger: Any photocopying machine?
Patterson: When you say "photocopying machine," what do you mean?
Marburger: Let me be -- let me make sure I understand your question. You don't have an understanding of what a photocopying machine is?
Patterson: No. I want to make sure that I answer your question correctly.
Cavanagh: Dave, I'll object to the tone of the question. You make it sound like it's unbelievable to you that he wouldn't know what the definition of a photocopy machine is.
Marburger: I didn't ask him to define it. I asked him if he had any.
Patterson: When you say "photocopying machine," what do you mean?
Marburger: Let me be clear. The term "photocopying machine" is so ambiguous that you can't picture in your mind what a photocopying machine is in an office setting?
Patterson: I just want to make sure I answer your question correctly.
Marburger: Well, we'll find out. If you can say yes or no, I can do follow-ups, but it seems -- if you really don't know in an office setting what a photocopying machine is, I'd like the Ohio Supreme Court to hear you say so.
Patterson: I just want to make sure I answer your question correctly.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Plato Was Right, #203892
Behold. Last year, a lawyer in Ohio had a hard time getting a witness to say whether the county recorder's office had a photocopier... A bit from the transcript:
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6 comments:
As any lawyer would tell you, the issue is whether the machine was used only to copy photographs or used photons as the means of copying anything. Of course then "copy" might mean in the latter sense duplicating whole objects in the way the transporter did in the original Star Trek series. Surely any rational lawyer would see the sense of this line of questioning.
DOOM indeed.
Now I need to return to the case I've been assigned in service on my state's Supreme Court Office of Lawyer Regulation committee.
No kidding on that. Thanks Spiros to set my mood.
Patterson: I'm sorry. I didn't know what that meant. I understand that there are photocopying machines, and there are different types of them just like --
Marburger: Are there any in the Recorder's office?
Patterson: -- there are different cars. Some of them run under gas power, some of them under electric power, and I'm asking if you could help me out by explaining what you mean by "photocopying machines" --
Marburger: That's a great point.
Patterson: -- instead of trying to make me feel stupid.
Marburger: If you feel stupid, it's not because I'm making you feel that way.
Cavanagh: Objection.
Nice article, thanks for the information.
Marburger: Have you ever--do you have machines there where I can put in a paper document, push a button or two, and out will come copies of that paper document also on paper? Do you have such a machine?
Patterson: Yes, sir.
Marburger: What do you call that machine?
Patterson: Xerox.
Marburger: Xerox. Is the machine made by the Xerox Company? Is that why it's called Xerox?
Patterson: No.
But, in what respect was Plato right in this case?
(a) We require essentialist definitions of general terms in order to communicate?
(b) Wise rulers should replace courts of law?
(c) Most people are idiots?
Thanks for this post, quite helpful material.
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