the answer to “can I move this candle” is “it’s complicated”.
I think there’s a principle at work here. I suspect that this has been expressed more formally. But...
… laws proposed to govern human behavior—which is complicated—can only anticipate a portion of that behavior. Lawmakers may enact the most rigid, black-and-white, unambiguous law you could imagine, but it must be expressed in words more ambiguous than the words used in mathematics. There will be a grey area, and human action will find that grey area. It will be complicated on the fringes.
This applies to any system of law by which humans are to govern themselves, Halacha just as much as the United States Code of Federal Regulations.
I see Wikipedia says Goodhart’s Law may mean: “that once a social or economic indicator or other surrogate measure is made a target for the purpose of conducting social or economic policy, then it will lose the information content that would qualify it to play such a role.”
I tentatively think prescriptive laws do not correspond to measures, whether surrogtate or direct. Right now, I think surrogate measures are like maps, which may or may not match the territory. On the other hand, I think laws are not like maps. Rather, they are like plans, especially like plans made for exploring territory that has not yet been mapped. Every so often, explorers must revisit their plans in the face of reality. My metaphor may be breaking down a bit here, but imagine law as a single set of instructions issued by the King to innumerable groups of hopeful colonists, setting out to explore a new world. The instructions may suffice for many or most, but some will have to make some creative interpretation.
I think there’s a principle at work here. I suspect that this has been expressed more formally. But...
… laws proposed to govern human behavior—which is complicated—can only anticipate a portion of that behavior. Lawmakers may enact the most rigid, black-and-white, unambiguous law you could imagine, but it must be expressed in words more ambiguous than the words used in mathematics. There will be a grey area, and human action will find that grey area. It will be complicated on the fringes.
This applies to any system of law by which humans are to govern themselves, Halacha just as much as the United States Code of Federal Regulations.
That sounds related to Goodhart’s Law.
Could reasonably be called “Costanza’s Corollary to Goodhart’s Law” .
I see Wikipedia says Goodhart’s Law may mean: “that once a social or economic indicator or other surrogate measure is made a target for the purpose of conducting social or economic policy, then it will lose the information content that would qualify it to play such a role.”
I tentatively think prescriptive laws do not correspond to measures, whether surrogtate or direct. Right now, I think surrogate measures are like maps, which may or may not match the territory. On the other hand, I think laws are not like maps. Rather, they are like plans, especially like plans made for exploring territory that has not yet been mapped. Every so often, explorers must revisit their plans in the face of reality. My metaphor may be breaking down a bit here, but imagine law as a single set of instructions issued by the King to innumerable groups of hopeful colonists, setting out to explore a new world. The instructions may suffice for many or most, but some will have to make some creative interpretation.