the place that chooses the principles

March 5th, 2025

• the place that chooses the principles #blogpost idea from a convo w Chris Wray
  • So suppose you have some choice to make, and someone suggests just waiting to see what feels right, but then you're like maybe I need a principle, some more top-down organizing thing
  • suppose you were offered a principle... What would you do with it?
    • If it was stupid you might just ignore it
    • If it seemed like a good idea but turned out to actually be mysteriously hard to apply... well, that would happen
    • if it sort of seemed right, but also sort of not, well, now you have a new conflict
    • or maybe, as you try on the new principle, the choice resolves - the situation unsticks and there's not even a sense of needing to apply the principle
  • ... ultimately, the test of a principle is whether it actually makes the stuckness go away
    • and of course we have other desiderata, other screening mechanisms before we even thoroughly consider it
  • examples
    • me realizing I needed to hand over BGI with no strings
    • the hypothetical "wow this is the best I can do" of the mating dance