Could we live in a world without rules?

Some people would prefer a society without government, where individual freedom comes first.

However, a world that promotes anarchy is inherently unstable. Humans continually make new rules to govern and do so as quickly as old rules are overturned.

Rules aren't just invented by rulers and imposed from the top down. They often arise from the needs of mutually agreeable social and economic interactions.

When people collectively have to manage resources such as common land or water, people jointly construct rules to govern the resources.

If each of us had to justify each rule from scratch, we would grind to a halt. Because of rules, we are able to learn hugely complex systems of language and social norms without spending too much time.

However, rules can develop their own momentum. People can become so passionate about arbitrary rules like dress code or dietary restrictions that they may impost extreme punishments to maintain them.

Some rules keep being added and extended so that our individual liberty is increasingly reduced. Regulations on drug discovery can be so onerous that a potentially valuable medicine is rejected.

It is best to always know why you are following a rule.