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Philosophy Talk

Are Rules Meant to Be Broken?

Us road signs in american style. Road trip. Vector illustration. Stock image. EPS 10.
Us road signs in american style. Road trip. Vector illustration. Stock image. EPS 10.

Does "discretion" just mean one rule for you and another for me?

Rules exist for a reason: they tell us what to expect, they help us coordinate our actions, and they stop us from exploiting one another. But isn't it possible to be too much of a rule follower? Aren't some rules arbitrary, unjust, or just plain inefficient? When should we exercise our judgment to reinterpret the rules, and when should we ignore them altogether? Josh and Ray break all rules with Barry Lam from UC Riverside, author of Fewer Rules, Better People The Case for Discretion. Sunday, April 27 at 11 am.

Devon Strolovitch studied medieval Judeo-Portuguese manuscripts and earned a PhD in Linguistics from Cornell University before coming to KALW. He is the Senior Producer of Philosophy Talk, and since 2007 has hosted Fog City Blues, the weekly digest of Blues in the Bay Area and beyond.