Rules of the Game - Part 1
People play many games – card games, board games, sports, word games. The games have little in common with each other. What they do all have in common is the existence of a set of rules that people are aware of and comply with. Without rules, the games cannot be played. People can and do cheat, but an essential part of cheating is that other players are not aware of it. The rules of different games vary tremendously and there are no core rules that apply to all games, it is only the existence of a set of rules itself that games have in common.
Life and living in a community is not, however, a game. Surely there are a core set of rules that all communities have in common, and if so, what are they?
There are some obvious rules that exist in most societies such as - Do not kill, Do not steal. These rules, however, are not as straightforward when looked at in details. Killing is not actually banned in most societies, it is strictly controlled, but not banned. Similarly stealing, depending on your definition of it, is not actually banned, but again, is strictly controlled.
The most that can probably be said about rules across societies is that certain types of behavior come under strict control. What that strict control is, varies from society to society.
Killing is mostly restricted to authorities. Only the state or leaders can approve killing, either as a punishment or through war with enemies of the state. All other killing is prohibited and leads to punishment. Whilst this is mostly true, it is not universally true. Some societies allow ‘honor killings’ by families of their own members.
Property is another area that is controlled in most societies, but again the control varies across societies. In most societies, property can be removed from an individual by the state. In conflict, property is often won by the victor. In some historical societies, this property included the defeated people. Historically, people could be owned, and although much rarer today, it is still a practice that exists unofficially in many societies.
Life and living in a community is not, however, a game. Surely there are a core set of rules that all communities have in common, and if so, what are they?
There are some obvious rules that exist in most societies such as - Do not kill, Do not steal. These rules, however, are not as straightforward when looked at in details. Killing is not actually banned in most societies, it is strictly controlled, but not banned. Similarly stealing, depending on your definition of it, is not actually banned, but again, is strictly controlled.
The most that can probably be said about rules across societies is that certain types of behavior come under strict control. What that strict control is, varies from society to society.
Killing is mostly restricted to authorities. Only the state or leaders can approve killing, either as a punishment or through war with enemies of the state. All other killing is prohibited and leads to punishment. Whilst this is mostly true, it is not universally true. Some societies allow ‘honor killings’ by families of their own members.
Property is another area that is controlled in most societies, but again the control varies across societies. In most societies, property can be removed from an individual by the state. In conflict, property is often won by the victor. In some historical societies, this property included the defeated people. Historically, people could be owned, and although much rarer today, it is still a practice that exists unofficially in many societies.
posted by craig fotheringham at 12:46 PM
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