The Iron Law of Oligarchy [0], Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy [1], and the Iron Law of Institutions [2] are all closely related. They are essential to unde

The Iron Law of Oligarchy [0], Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy [1], and the Iron Law of Institutions [2] are all closely related. They are essential to understanding how the modern world works and doesn't work and why. The Iron Law of Wages is how Marx and others described the key consequence of the great Thomas Malthus's Principle of Population. [3] Google finds various Iron Laws of the Market, Valuation, Prohibition, Finance, Volunteering, and more, but the only ones I hear in regular conversation are the ones I mentioned above. The one from sociological evaluation in OP is interesting to see also. What Iron Laws are there in your field or conversation? [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_law_of_oligarchy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_law_of_oligarchy [1] http://www.jerrypournelle.com/reports/jerryp/iron.html http://www.jerrypournelle.com/reports/jerryp/iron.html [2] http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Iron_law_of_institutions http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Iron_law_of_institutions [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_law_of_wages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_law_of_wages