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Law is code for society. Government is a fairly complex machine (organization). Imagine joining a team using an entire toolstack novel to you. Just takes time

Law is code for society. Government is a fairly complex machine (organization). Imagine joining a team using an entire toolstack novel to you. Just takes time to onboard. As an activist, I got to know the laws, regulations, rules for my domain (federal, state, local). Utterly daunting, intimidating at first. Then over time, not so much. I also spent a lot of time "popularizing" my activism. Much like some authors popularize science. No one expects to read popular science books and then be able to work in the field. But good communication can distill all the craziness to key points. Same learning curve with every interesting domain.

dragonwriter 5y ago
> Law is code for society. There are some similarities, but while this is a popular metaphor it is misleading. Government isn't a machine running code, its a bunch of people pursuing their own interests. Law is one means of establishing and communicating social expectations and consequences as a way of shaping incentive structure in society at large, including government, so that people pursuing their own interests act in “acceptable” ways, but it is very much not deterministic in operation.
- specialist 5y ago
  It's just a metaphor. Complicated stuff is complicated. Dismissing policy work for its complicity is a oft used trope. > ...its a bunch of people pursuing their own interests. What org is immune to proxy fights thru code, rules, budgets? I've won a few internecine knife fights by shipping code first. (TBH, I lost most of these fights, by whatever means.)
  - dragonwriter 5y ago
    > Dismissing policy work for its complicity is a oft used trope. Dismissing various forms of activism because “the law already handles that” is also a popular response, and the “law is code” meme reinforces it. As it does the misreading of laws that are superficially symmetric but don't apply in contexts of symmetric incentives, e.g., the DMCA safe harbors notice and counternotice provisions. > What org is immune to proxy fights thru code, rules, budgets? None. But machines running code are, hence one of the major problems of the “law is code” metaphor.
    - specialist 5y ago
      Ok. My intent remains to encourage participation in policy work. Suggestions?

dragonwriter 5y ago

> Law is code for society. There are some similarities, but while this is a popular metaphor it is misleading. Government isn't a machine running code, its a bunch of people pursuing their own interests. Law is one means of establishing and communicating social expectations and consequences as a way of shaping incentive structure in society at large, including government, so that people pursuing their own interests act in “acceptable” ways, but it is very much not deterministic in operation.

specialist 5y ago
It's just a metaphor. Complicated stuff is complicated. Dismissing policy work for its complicity is a oft used trope. > ...its a bunch of people pursuing their own interests. What org is immune to proxy fights thru code, rules, budgets? I've won a few internecine knife fights by shipping code first. (TBH, I lost most of these fights, by whatever means.)
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  > Dismissing policy work for its complicity is a oft used trope. Dismissing various forms of activism because “the law already handles that” is also a popular response, and the “law is code” meme reinforces it. As it does the misreading of laws that are superficially symmetric but don't apply in contexts of symmetric incentives, e.g., the DMCA safe harbors notice and counternotice provisions. > What org is immune to proxy fights thru code, rules, budgets? None. But machines running code are, hence one of the major problems of the “law is code” metaphor.
  - specialist 5y ago
    Ok. My intent remains to encourage participation in policy work. Suggestions?