Sunday, July 02, 2017

Social Agreements

Law isn't the only thing that constrains our behaviour. There are lots of things we don't do, not because we are not legally allowed to, but because the relationships that matter to us require us not to do them. Gossip, disappointment, respect, honour and various other subtle incentives cause us to direct our actions in a way that makes us feel good or bad. We can ignore what other people think about our actions. We can do whatever we want, but that has consequences. What you do matters. We have formal contracts with our employers or business partners that define this agreement. All businesses or even countries are, are agreements. The are 'legal people'. Agreements that can make agreements. Marriage or Civil Partnerships do the same thing. Most of our relationships are more fuzzy, and less conscious. We stumble our way through, messing up, and redefining terms as we go. Evolving with the new challenges life presents.

A country by agreement

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