The Sufficient Conditions for Rule Breaking But what about rules that do make sense—ones that serve a good, clear purpose? When can they be broken? It is not possible to consider every possible scenario regarding each rule, so here is a "Rule for Breaking Rules": When the purpose of the rule is understood, and when breaking that rule does not go against its purpose, the rule can be broken.

Here are some examples worth considering.



Jaywalking

Lying

Drugs

The Necessary Conditions



Conclusion





The main purpose of traffic lights and other traffic laws is safety. Jaywalking is morally acceptable when a pedestrian, on an empty street, for instance,judges that it is safe enough to cross.In undeveloped Chinese cities, traffic lights are ignored, so attention must be paid more to oncoming vehicles than to the traffic lights. Waiting until the light turns green in these cities would hardly make the crossing more safe. Hence jaywalking on a busy street in these undeveloped cities is morally acceptable, while jaywalking elsewhere may not be.The main purpose of communication depends on the given situation. On situations where the consequence of the conversation matters more than the veracity of the contents, it is morally acceptable to lie. It is morally acceptable to tell a toned down version of a family's fatal accident to a lone surviving child, even if the story is far from the truth. Whether it is more ethical to do so or not is a harder question.The purpose of most drug bans is to combat the dangers of addiction. Some drugs pose a serious threat to relationships and mental and physical health. But the same could be said about gasoline and superglue. Drugs are treated differently from other addictive, potentially harmful household items because they carry a bad history. Using drugs without malicious intents, on levels that do not exceed doctor recommendations, is morally acceptable.The Rule for Breaking Rules specifies the sufficient conditions in which rule breaking is allowed. A natural follow-up question would be what theconditions for rule breaking are. Here is the second part of the Rule for Breaking Rules:. For example, if a biker is being chased by a mad dog during a red light, it would be wrong for the biker to stop. Though going at a red light could also result in a terrible accident, it at least gives a chance for survival.This post examined the necessary and sufficient conditions for rule breaking. It is my hope that this guideline would be used in legal, as well as in informal affairs, exonerating those who rightly broke rules, and blaming those who followed rules when they should not have.The Rule for Breaking Rules applies only insofar as the rules themselves serve good purposes. Strange rules that have no positive purpose are not ethically binding. Additionally, it is arguably more honorable to break rather than follow unethical rules, as Rosa Parks did in 1955.One possible objection to this theory is that instead of breaking a rule under certain circumstances, following the rule regardless of the situation could set a good example for others. It could. But one could also set an example by breaking rules when it is better to do so.