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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Ten Laws to Ponder


Here are Ten Eponymous Laws attributed to science fiction authors, experts, pundits and mythical Irishmen, with a bonus link to a whole pile of other such laws all listed out for your edification and free use at Wikipedia.

  1. Murphy's Law
  2. Finagle's Law
  3. Peter Principle
  4. Sturgeon's Law
  5. Hanlon's/Heinlein's Razor
  6. Clarke's Three Laws
  7. The Three Laws of Robotics (Asimov)
  8. Niven's Laws
  9. Sutton's Law
  10. Moore's Law

Still More Eponymous 'Laws.'

Some of these 'laws' are sound advice, like Sturgeon's Law or Hanlon's Razor. Some of these 'laws' seem pretty useful, at least for writers of fiction, such as Clarke's or Niven's laws. Sutton's Law sure gets quoted a great deal as though it were some of the most profound advice ever offered. Others seem a bit cynical except that so many people seem to rush to live up (or down) to the stated expectations, like in the case of the Peter Principle. But what if we could challenge some of these laws? Or are they immutable truths we cannot escape the way some people look upon Murphy's Law?

All laws imply the possibility of breaking the law. It's implicit. So how does one 'break' or violate Clarkes' Law? Can we challenge Finagle's Law? Will we see Moore's law collapse in our life-time?