The Fundamental Principles of How The World Works

WOSG

[WOSG]

I'd like to hear other example of descriptive and prescriptive maxims, principles and fundamental rules that describe "The Way the World Works". So go ahead and chime in with your view of the basic principles that describe who mankind and society works.

[bwteim]

I am bookmarking this for later reading and response. FWIW, Bastiat is on my To Read list.

Guess Do Unto Others as You Would Have Others Do Unto You should be on the list, although that is in your #6.

[El Sordo]

From the 3-laws of thermodynamics:

1) You cannot win.

2) You cannot even break even.

3) You may not leave the game.

[randog]

A wizened engineer taught me one rule of the workplace that seems to be universal (i.e., works outside the workplace):

In any group or organization of people working towards a common goal, there are really only a handful of people holding it all together.

[Dallas59]

At our business, it's the janitors...

[RedStateRocker]

There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

A fool and their money are soon parted.

Don't get into a p!ss!ing match with a skunk.

The Lord might forgive, the IRS don't.

Don't bring a knife to a gunfight.

[AntiGuv]

[Nachoman]

Okay, I'll play. Here are some Nachoman corollaries:

3. All things of value require some effort to obtain.

All things requiring effort to obtain are not necessarily of value.

4. All achievement is a result of concentration.

Except for achievements which come as a result of dumb luck.

3. There is wisdom in tradition. (eg Russel Kirk's formulation).

Goldie Hawn is a babe (Kirk Russel's formulation)

[Schweinhund]

I find the property part complicated though, especially in the realm of intellectual property.

There are clearly things that can't belong to anybody, yet society enables individuals to claim property of concepts they did not invent but only described in a certain scientific context as the first person.

I'll try to revisit this thread later and give a more thought out view of that.

[NicknamedBob]

"At our business, it's the janitors..."

[WOSG]

"In any group or organization of people working towards a common goal, there are really only a handful of people holding it all together."

Pareto Principle - yes! 80% does 20% of the work, 20% does 80% of the work.

Reminds me of another law: Parkinson's Law -
Work expands to fill the time alloted to it.

And the Peter Principle:
People rise to their level of incompetence.

Those 3 explain the functionings of many bureaucracies.

[Family Guy]

You mention Self Defense in the beginning, but I didn't notice it in your lists anywhere, so I would recommend putting Liberty in you list beside Freedom even though, as I understand them, they are competing principles.

[Cvengr]

All rules have exceptions. (Except for this one.) ;^)

[Cvengr]

Everyone likes to win.

Corollary.
Nobody likes to lose.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

In any group or organization of people working towards a common goal, there are really only a handful of people holding it all together.

That certainly applies to our Revolution.

[WOSG]

It's well worth buying a paperback version, but you can read Bastiat's "The Law" on the web:

http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html

[NaughtiusMaximus]

Ping!! Great thread - continue to track.

My humble submission.

Naughtius' Law of Free Stuff:

No matter what liberals may tell you, in this Universe there's no such thing as Free Stuff. All stuff has to be paid for by somebody, sometime.

[WOSG]

"Do Unto Others as You Would Have Others Do Unto You"

That would be a primary principle of morality, true.

[AntiGuv]

The primary principle of morality is: That which exists has greater value than that which does not. Everything else logically follows.

[Schweinhund]

> And the Peter Principle:
> People rise to their level of incompetence.

Although Clausewitz beat him to that ^^