Hulk Vs Godzilla Ultima Analysis + Examining The Claims About The SP Novel

 

Since there’s been a lot of uncertainty around this matchup in regards to the singular point novelization and the validity of the scans from it being posted around online I decided to read the novel for myself to see what I could find. Having done so, I now believe that a lot of context has been omitted about some of the most common claims people believe about Ultima, his true form, and his perceived invincibility. The purpose of this blog will be to address some of the most common questions people have about how Hulk could defeat Godzilla, and why he has a better chance than most people might think.

A QUICK DISCLAIMER

Since I do not own a physical copy of this novel I used a digital version uploaded to the Internet Archive which can be found here. I have made a separate page here that compiles the passages I reference in this blog, with both the original Japanese text, and the translation I got for it along with the page it’s located on in the epub file. For transparency's sake I would just like to mention that most of these passages were translated with a machine learning service known as DeepL.  This service works better than Google Translate, and was enough to help me comprehend the novel in English very well, however I also understand that services such as these cannot fully replace the work of actual translators. Because of this I consulted with a third party translator fluent in Japanese to double-check some of the more important points that this blog hinges on. I have included these translations directly below the machine translated ones for comparison. I am not fluent in Japanese and had a limited amount of money for this project, so I did the best I could with the resources available to me

 

What Is Ultima’s True Form and Can Hulk Reach It?

The current perception of Godzilla Ultima is that their body is just an avatar of a different being that exists separately from it on a higher plane of existence, however there are several statements in the novel that indicate that its physical body acts more like a shell which its higher-dimensional form resides in when entering a lower-dimensional universe. We are actually given concrete details about where its true form resides early on in the novel:

It was a being that would, at its whim, let its back surface here and there upon the water’s surface.

Here, what is called a “water’s surface” was, to other living creatures, something akin to the ends of the universe or the boundary of the world — but to It, such things were of no concern.

It would suddenly rise to the surface of a certain universe, only to sink away again on a whim, continuing to drift on.

From the point where it touched the water’s surface, cracks ran through that world.

Through those cracks, countless beings flowed in, taking form within that world and shaping new “molecules.”

Like moss swelling up from the fissures, like bubbles welling forth, it left footprints upon this world. (68-69)

So Godzilla’s true form swims through the space just outside the edge of the universe, a space which connects all different universes and their space-times together. It has the ability to enter any universe through its edge akin to a sea creature surfacing from a body of water. We are given further details about what happens when it decides to enter a universe in this passage here:

It slowly raised its head. With that movement, a head came into being in a place where, until that moment, no head had existed. Or perhaps, from beyond the rift, the head manifested itself into this world. It might also have appeared as if suddenly rising from the depths of the sea. It slowly twisted its body, as if it had existed in that manner since time immemorial. It extended its body from the present into the past, affirming its own existence. Instead of developing step by step from a small embryo, it created its own birth by extending its already fully grown body into the past. And so, it began to sing. (70)

Its true form raises its head into the universe and a physical head is created accordingly. In other words, as Godzilla enters our universe, a physical body is constructed for it. Throughout the rest of the novel there are then several statements to indicate that its physical body is what’s keeping it anchored to our world: 

The singularity forms an archetype-made shell around itself, like an oyster shell. This shell serves as an anchor to keep the singularity anchored to this world, and if it can be decomposed, “the singularity will simply return home on its own.” “If that doesn't happen,” Shinno's voice is torn apart by the wind swirling in the shaft, becoming almost a scream. (299)

 

In the super-time computer, Pero 2 calculated the parameters that would allow JJ to fight Godzilla and the parameters that would destroy the anchor that the singularity had brought down to this world, and incorporated them into a “song.” (320) 

 

The idea of the singular points physical body as a shell that surrounds it is also consistent with how Shiva, another singularity is described.

Shiva itself is considered to be a point without size, but it is surrounded by a rocklike outer shell. Like an oyster, it armors itself with the material it has created. The molecules that make up this shell are called archetypes (112)

Furthermore, we are told that this shell initially imposes physical challenges and limitations on Godzilla, bounding it to the laws of our universe: 

By existing in this universe, “it” gained a physical form and the ability to exert influence over the universe. However, it also became subject to the effects of the weight of matter, the flow of time, and the interplay of gravity. Though it would eventually destroy these forces, for now, it was in a stage of compromise. Time was synonymous with following a sequence of steps. Building small things to form larger ones. Creating and discarding the unnecessary.(253)

 

By twisting its upper body to the left, its tail swings vigorously to the right to maintain balance, striking the exterior of the building and scattering debris. It is bound by the constraints of the real world. Stepping onto the “path” stretching between the buildings was easy, but it meant being tightly surrounded by the “real world” around its body. (254)

In order to adapt to these limitations Godzilla decides to completely reconstruct his body. Doing this requires him to incinerate his current body into a tough, cocoon-like exterior. He then exits the universe from the cocoon, constructs a more suitable body, and hatches into this new form from the cocoon he left behind.

 To make this sleep possible, it even went so far as to erase itself from this universe. To quickly avoid the difficulty of directly erasing itself, “it” entrusted its own destruction to human hands.The 120mm physical bullets of the Type 10 were insufficient to erase “it” from this world, so it even generated fuel to burn itself completely. “It” tore itself from this universe, leaving behind the shell of its dream, reshaped itself, and reentered the shell once more. (218)

At the same time Godzilla exits the universe, production of red dust as well as the song both cease, something which is also noted in the anime.. This implies that the presence of Godzilla within the universe is required to exert control over it.

That was the extent of his reaction. After all, just a moment ago, it was this very thing that had spewed red dust into the sky, turning Tokyo Bay red. “With the ‘carbonization,’ the red dust has stopped,” his subordinate reported. Matsubara replied briefly, “What about the radio waves?” His subordinate hurriedly flipped through some documents and replied, “Those seem to have stopped as well.” (192-193)

This lines up with the fact that Godzilla is described as being either the singularity itself, or carrying the singularity within it. By exiting the universe, the singularity is no longer present and its effects cease. 

"So Godzilla itself is the 'singularity'?"

 "Based on what you've said, that's the conclusion," Matsubara replied. 

"The reason  the source of the red tide remained unstable when we explored the waters off Boso  Peninsula, and the reason Tokyo Bay turned red with red dust, can indeed be  explained by that."  Even Kaji, who had pushed his imagination about the singularity to its limits and  arrived at a tree-like image, had not yet imagined that the singularity itself could be a  living being.  No, Godzilla itself isn't the "singularity," but perhaps it incorporates the "singularity" somewhere in its body, or that some organ forms a singularity. But in the end, that would just mean Godzilla  is in a different league from other "monsters." (198)

These statements consistently highlight that the Godzilla we encounter in the series is not merely an avatar but is the actual entity itself. It is less that it creates an avatar that it puppets from a higher dimension and more so that it willingly takes on a weaker form with the intention of terraforming the universe into a state that can properly sustain the existence of it and other red dust monsters. Further supporting this idea is that there are several chapters in the novel that are told to us through Godzilla’s perspective, and when this happens the book refers to Godzilla as “It”. This is noteworthy because whenever we switch to this perspective it is always being told within the context of “It” interacting with the universe from inside of it.

This makes Hulk's chances of victory significantly easier. One of the biggest hurdles Hulk has to overcome in this fight was believed to be the fact that he would need to find the higher dimension that “It” resides in, and somehow reach that just to finally have a chance of killing him. With the information we are provided however it is more likely that the Godzilla who Hulk is fighting will give him a much easier if not outright direct shot at his true form. This also establishes that Godzilla cannot just create multiple Godzilla’s to fight Hulk at once. 

Does Hulk Need to Solve the Ultima Equation to Defeat Godzilla?

There’s been a lot of arguments about whether Hulk and Bruce Banner have the capability to recreate the conditions that led to Godzilla’s defeat in the final episode of the series. The most common misconception in this regard is the idea of “The Ultima Equation”, that Bruce or Hulk would need to work out a mathematical equation that tells you how to defeat Ultima. I believe this to be a fundamental misunderstanding of both the final battle, and how the Orthogonal Diagonizer works. The information that held the secret to defeating Ultima was not a math equation, but something more akin to a computer code. The Orthogonal Diagonizer is likened to a programmable molecule, which was built with the aim of synthesizing the red dust from one  phase into another. 

"The Orthogonal Diagonalizer is essentially a catalyst. It converts A into B without consuming itself. The parameters this time were intended to transfer the red dust into a different phase, and that part was successful. It's like trying to turn water into  ice. The problem is that Sharanga is also a monster that manipulates red dust, and  our catalyst was 'overpowered'. While we try to convert A into B, it tries to convert B back into A. Once this happens, it becomes a simple matter of brute force…

The OD was needed specifically because human beings are unable to access or synthesize the higher-dimensional components of archetype molecules. They are likened to a low dimensional device that is capable of reaching the Archetypes higher dimensional configuration. 

”In other words,“ said BB, ”the Orthogonal Diagonalizer is like a low-dimensional pair of tweezers that can handle the higher-dimensional parts of archetype molecules.Or perhaps a three-dimensional protrusion of a machine that enables the manipulation of higher-dimensional entities. Or parameterized mechanical degrees of freedom." (171)

 

"If we could create a catalyst that can decompose red dust and replicate itself," Kanno Meiko murmurs to himself. "Access the higher-dimensional arrangement of red dust via an orthogonal diagonalizer and alter its direction..." (183)

 

My mission lies in determining the parameters of the Orthogonal Diagonalizer. The Orthogonal Diagonalizer itself is like a cutting blade that can be wielded in high dimensions. Depending on how it is adjusted, it can also be used like glue or tweezers. I currently want to utilize this property to separate the high-dimensional components of archetypal molecules. More precisely, I want to transform the molecules and make their high-dimensional components orthogonal to the real world. What makes an archetypal molecule an archetypal molecule is its highdimensional component. The magical power is generated by the connection to another dimension. (298)

The Shiva scientist believed that with the right set of parameters, it was possible to use the OD’s archetype molecule manipulation abilities to essentially synthesize them into a state that would cause the self-decomposition of all red dust on Earth. These parameters were what the Shiva supercomputer was attempting to calculate. 

Kamino Mei and BB infiltrated the Upar facility where the monster known as Sharanga had appeared, and it is said that they used a super-time computer, with the aim of completing the Orthogonal Diagonalizer. In this context, "completion" meant finding the parameters of the Orthogonal Diagonalizer that could decompose all archetypes. (204)

However, by the time that the singularity attacks and the predicted calamity occurs, it’s discovered that there are no parameters that exist to synthesize the red dust into a state in which they will all decompose themselves. 

 

I have indeed discovered that there are no parameters that make the self-catalytic decomposition of all archetypes possible, but that is all it means. (317) 

This is the context for why the supercomputer could not calculate the means to defeat Godzilla, it’s not that they didn’t exist at all, rather it was tunnel-visioned on searching for a specific solution that was not there. This is where the information embedded into the song comes in. By analyzing it Pelops 2 discovers the actual parameters that could be injected into the OD to defeat Godzilla. It’s explained that the code essentially did two things: it powered up Jet Jaguar into a state capable of matching Godzilla, and it severed its link to our dimension by destroying the anchor it had created to our world. In doing so, the supply source of Archetype is cut off and the red dust on earth is converted into a more harmless, crystalline form. 

Yet another possibility—and this is the method I most wanted to avoid—is that using the Orthogonal Diagonalizer that ended up in Yun Arikawa’s hands, one could construct a new “machine assembled from Archetypes” using the dense layer of Archetype dust surrounding Godzilla. Where did the parameters for that come from? They, too, were embedded within the “song.” Pero 2, realizing that the Archetype could not be destroyed, attempted to defeat Godzilla by “enhancing” Jet Jaguar through the song.

In other words, rather than using super-chemical methods, it was a plan to settle things with brute force—a fistfight. (319)

One more thing—perhaps it wasn’t necessary to search for a parameter that completely disassembles every Archetype molecule. Because of my origins as code, I tend to be inflexible—when given an exact specification, I feel compelled to answer with precise conformity.But if those constraints could be relaxed...

The objective was simply to temporarily make the singularity retreat from this universe.

…Even if some Archetype remained in this world, as long as the singularity itself was severed from this dimension, producing new Archetypes would become difficult. (319)

I believe that the combination of the last two possibilities was the closest to reality in the Naratake network. Pero 2 calculates the parameters to reconfigure JJ into a form capable of battling Godzilla within the super-time computer, and the parameters to destroy the anchor that the singularity has anchored to this world, and incorporates them into a "song." While JJ suppresses Godzilla, the anchor is eroded, and Godzilla loses its foothold to continue existing in this world. If one examines the two sets of massive footprints left behind at the site straightforwardly, this conclusion emerges. The activated Orthogonal Diagonalizer destroys the bond between the singularity and this world, and as a byproduct of this process, a blue crystalline structure appears, enveloping Tokyo and the world (320)

What’s interesting here is that the novel reveals that there were actually several ways of defeating Godzilla besides the one that eventually ended up working. 

There were many ways Godzilla could have been defeated. The Orthogonal Diagonalizer was merely one of the possible means to defeat Godzilla, and the decomposition of archetypes is just one of the countless options made possible by the Orthogonal Diagonalizer. (317)

There are countless ways such a method could have worked. To be honest, I don't even know which method was effective. Over a hundred million attack methods were executed, and almost all of them were blocked, but one strategy was sufficient to sever the thread-like band binding the singularity to this dimension.  (317-318)

One suggestion of note relates to a concept explored earlier in the story when 

The properties of archetype molecules are first being demonstrated. Essentially we are shown a cube that amplifies light by replicating particles sent from the future to the past through a closed time-like curve over and over again, until it can no longer handle the buildup of light photons and explodes. The actual explanation is very complicated and requires a much more in-depth explanation so I’ll link to this post that helped me understand it better. 

It’s stated that Godzilla’s beam breath works in a similar manner, by utilizing a CTC to repeatedly overlap molecules to fire a molecular-powered laser. Pero 2 theorizes that the OD could be infinitely replicated inside of Godzilla, recreating the same circumstances that caused the cube to be overloaded with light and destroyed. This is significant as it implies that the physical destruction of Godzilla’s body would have been sufficient enough to defeat him. 

Another possibility—if we adopt Mei Kamino’s theory—is that Godzilla’s molecular beam breath operates through a replication mechanism that generates the same molecules repeatedly over time.

In other words, this implies the presence of a CTC (Closed Timelike Curve), and as long as spacetime can withstand the stress, it becomes possible to replicate something infinitely.

That means Godzilla could have infinitely replicated the Orthogonal Diagonalizer, just like the transparent cube shown by Lee amplified light.

And just like how that cube shattered, perhaps the singularity was also destroyed in a similar way. (318-319)

So to quickly summarize everything:

• Ultima was actually defeated by a computer code injected into a programmable molecule 

• The original goal of the code was to cause the catalytic breakdown of all red-dust molecules, but it is discovered there are no parameters that can be injected into the archetype that will make it do this on its own. 

• Jet Jaguar PP eventually discovers a code capable of both making Jet Jaguar strong enough to fight with Godzilla Ultima, and destroy his anchor to the dimension

• Removing Godzilla from the universe causes the Archetype dust to transform into solid blue crystals 

• It is stated that the OD allowed for other methods to defeat Godzilla aside from the one that was used 

This hopefully illustrates that the Orthogonal Diagonalizer did not merely manifest an impossible miracle scenario that removed Godzilla from the universe, rather there were explicit mechanics behind how it did so. So to answer the original question, Hulk would not need the “Ultima equation" to defeat Godzilla, because Hulk already naturally possesses many of the capabilities the OD allowed for. If the OD was needed to interact with the higher-dimensional properties of Archetype, Hulk has demonstrated the ability to interact with such higher-dimensional constructs on his own. He would also have no need for a device that makes him stronger because with his current stats he is strong enough to both match and exceed Godzilla's own power. 

The last question then would be if Hulk has the means of destroying the singularities anchor to this world, and I believe that the answer to this question would be yes, he does. While we are never told explicitly how this was achieved by the OD, recall that the shell that the singularity is said to inhabit is mentioned consistently in conjunction with its anchor, acting as physical armor that it exists inside of. This information would suggest that destroying Godzilla’s shell would be sufficient enough to destroy the singularity and its connection to the universe. The fact overloading Godzilla’s body with a CTC buildup of archetype molecules until it exploded was stated to be a plan that would have worked also supports the argument that destruction through physical force can sever this link. We are even told directly that the force that removed Godzilla was a kind of explosion 

The most straightforward assumption would be that the “explosion” had erased Godzilla’s form from this universe.

A likely candidate was a type of archetype molecule known as the Orthogonal Diagonalizer (hereafter OD), which was known to have the effect of “nullifying” various kinds of archetypes. (314)

All of this points to Hulk being plenty capable of dealing with Ultima on his own. 

Does Hulk have a way around composite Godzilla’s dimensional travel?

Now since Godzilla is being composited in this matchup a counterargument that might be raised is that a different incarnation of Godzilla such as Snow Godzilla could use its dimensional traveling abilities to immediately warp back to the universe and continue the fight, essentially counteracting Ultima’s one glaring weakness. My response to that would be that even if this were true, Godzilla would still be at a massive disadvantage due to how his evolutionary abilities work. 

Recall that the removal of Godzilla from the universe caused the archetype molecules he had spread to vanish completely, replacing it with the blue crystals. Archetype is an extremely important resource for Godzilla because it is what lets him assimilate himself with the universe and grow himself in power. Godzilla would basically be rejoining the fight back at square one, needing to build his supply of red dust up again to regain a similar level of power to what he held before. While he has shown the ability to quickly evolve into a much stronger form in a short period of time, doing this requires him to build a cocoon around himself, leaving him extremely vulnerable.

Speaking of red dust, Hulk should have an argument for being able to interfere with that too. While it’s true that the novel states that Archetype can not be forcibly made to self-decompose, this does not mean that Archetype itself is completely indestructible. We are told that the removal of the Singularity would cause them to naturally decompose and break down in the environment. 

The archetype gradually decomposes, mixing with the molecules of this world and breaking down into miraculous molecules that are difficult to detect. By the time radioactive atoms reach their half-life, their number is reduced by half. The archetype is a knot. Even if the knot remains, once the mechanism that ties it is destroyed, the knot can no longer increase. (319)

This likely means that Hulk would be able to directly interfere with Godzilla’s accumulated supply of red dust, either by flat out destroying it or by clapping it away, allowing him to limit how much control Ultima is able to exert over the environment. 

Limitations of Godzilla’s abilities 

The last thing I’d like to touch upon are the vulnerabilities and weaknesses shown by Godzilla in the novel that have been overlooked by his supporters. One feat you’ve probably seen brought up for Godzilla is the statement of him “defeating his own defeat”, taking it to mean that defeating Godzilla is literally impossible. The funny thing is that the same chapter this passage is taken from also mentions a very clear example of Godzilla being defeated. Here we are given an explanation behind the skeletal remains of Godzilla in the anime, revealing it was a previous incarnation of Godzilla that was stopped while attacking Japan in 1954.

"It" was looking at a single past. 1954, Tokyo Bay. There was a man there glaring at it. Inside the cylinder was a sphere supported by two cylindrical structures extending from the bottom surfaces. "It" knew what it was. It was a past that had ended for "it," a past it did not know, a past it had forgotten, a past that could never have happened, and a past that was yet to come. ….As it collapsed on the beach of Tōno, "it" intuitively understood that the man would become its worthy adversary, repeatedly appearing before it, and eventually bringing about its downfall. (11-12)

Now it is never revealed explicitly how this Godzilla was defeated, all that we do know is that it was done so by using the Oxygen Destroyer, which in this universe is described as a more complete version of the Orthogonal Diagonalizer 

 Among them, in a research notebook about the storage container for the Orthogonal Diagonalizer, there was a single instance of a name that appeared nowhere else. Beside a diagram of a cylindrical shape holding a sphere, there were words scrawled in distinctive handwriting that read "Oxygen Destroyer." There was no other information in this world to explain what it meant. I like to imagine that it was actually this "Oxygen Destroyer" that defeated Godzilla in Tokyo. What Perro 2 discovered while running on the super-time computer, having lost all contact with us, was the Oxygen Destroyer that had once defeated Godzilla in Otsu. The Orthogonal Diagonalizer is merely an incomplete replica of it. (321-322)

Regardless of the specifics, this tells us that at one point Godzilla was weak enough where reducing it to a skeleton was enough to keep it away for almost 86 years between 1954 and 2030. While it is speculated that this was a weaker version of Godzilla who may not have met the requirements to be a singularity, this is seen merely as speculation. We are explicitly told that this version of Godzilla possesses a fragment of the singularity and an earlier chapter in the book reveals that Godzilla still possessed reality warping powers even when he attacked in 1954: 

The Naratake Network has confirmed that Godzilla's bones, a fragment of the singularity, were found there. They are the bones of Godzilla, who landed in Nageo in 1954.The question is, “How was that Godzilla defeated?” (321)

Of course we also witness Godzilla’s defeat in the main events of the story itself. Now the interesting thing about this one is that Godzilla is actually capable of perceiving his own defeat several times throughout the story. In the novelization version of Anguirus’s fight with Jet Jaguar, it’s revealed that JJ interferes with its ability to perceive the future. 

It took no particular interest in the exterior of the drive unit, but a massive sense of dissonance surged from its body, causing the beast to unconsciously take a step back, then another. The beast growled for a moment to buy time, and eventually understood the source of the dissonance. The silver drive unit was missing its future section.Something was obstructing the beast from turning its head toward the direction where the future of the drive unit existed. The beast had never encountered such a situation before, but by being held down by the drive unit, it realized it could no longer see its own future direction. Something was firmly pressing down on the beast's neck, preventing it from seeing the future, and it could not break free. (309)

This is significant because Godzilla uses the lesser monsters to perceive the world in a way likened to eyes, he is also stated to incorporate the abilities of Rodan and Anguirus into one of his later evolutionary forms. Later on, we see this happen again but directly through Godzilla’s perspective with his own time-perceiving abilities 

There was no straight road leading there; the path was as intricate as finding one’s way out of a labyrinth, and along it ran a chain of causality.

At its center floated a realm that could not be seen through, even by eyes capable of perceiving all things across time and space — and within it lay a “fate that could not be foreseen.”

For Godzilla, whose every free choice was determined by the laws of this world, a “future that could not be seen” was, in the sense of being able to choose from among possibilities, far closer to “will” than to the “consciousness of existing here and now.”

That place lay in the very heart of Tokyo.

What was there was unknown — yet what was supposed to be there was known.

It should be that silver, metallic creature.

For that metallic being known as Jet Jaguar was also, to Godzilla, an existence that “could not be seen through.” (258)

This shows us an interesting limit to Godzilla’s precognitive abilities. If there is a future where he is defeated or removed from a specific spacetime then he is unable to foresee that future. While he can use this to clue him in to danger, he is not able to see the specifics of what it is that will cause his demise. This plotline also relates to another statement where Godzilla is said to be able to destroy causality itself. 

Next to it lay the remains of a robot. It took some effort to shoot down the robot, which flew around like a small insect and was called Jet Jaguar, but there is no substance, time, or causality in this universe that can be torn apart by Godzilla's atomic beam. (309)

While this sounds like Godzilla found the means to negate a fate in which he would be destroyed, there is additional context to how this ability works. We are essentially told that Godzilla is capable of perceiving fate as a series of threads, with knots in these threads representing nodes in causality that lead to a specific outcome. The only way to completely eradicate these threads would be to destroy the object or being that ties these causal nodes together.

That disturbance made Godzilla's future uncertain and was trying to somehow connect the thin thread that led to its destruction. The cause of that disturbance now existed before our eyes. Of course, the person himself was unaware of this. It was the kind of thread that could only be perceived by looking at the whole picture, a single point where a network of thin, thin causal relationships converged.Despite its fragile structure, the net could not be severed by simply crushing some possibility. Whenever a possibility was crushed, the causality that had previously remained dormant joined the effort to support the thread. Countless entities manipulating information were supporting the mesh of the net. Godzilla had come all the way to the heart of Tokyo in search of the knot in the causal net. (310)

In this case the main knot was Yun Arikawa, and upon realizing this Godzilla attempts to destroy him by firing a molecular beam at him. Before he can accomplish this however  he is stopped by Jet Jaguar and Yun executes the code from the OD that leads to his defeat. All of this demonstrates that Godzilla’s atemporal abilities are not able to protect him completely and infallibly. In this scenario, he was capable of perceiving both a future where he would be defeated, and the exact steps he would need to take to prevent it, yet was still stopped when confronted with an opponent capable of providing an equal match to him. So despite how impressive the concept of “defeating your own defeat” sounds, it’s flat out contradicted by the novel showing us two different instances of Godzilla being defeated and banished from the universe by humans.

Anyways, thank you to everyone who took the time to read over all of this. I spent a lot of time putting this together and hope it’s able to meaningfully contribute to the discussion surrounding this matchup. I’m expecting some people to disagree with my arguments so if this gets enough attention I may make a followup blog addressing any counterarguments that are brought up.