THEM'S THE RULES

It’s wrong to make promises you don’t intend to keep, right?

This tenet of common morality is the basic premise behind “Chekhov’s Gun,” a fundamental concept of storytelling made famous by the prolific Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov.

But this rule goes way beyond the page and stage – think geopolitics, technological advancements, cowboys, and mutually assured destruction.

In this episode, Bronwen looks at human psychology (and human folly) to explain why this literary principle is something we ALL need to be taking seriously, as the survival of humanity depends upon it...



LINKS
Anton Chekhov: Collection of Five Plays

“The Pistol on the Wall: How Coercive Military Intervention Limits Atrocity Prevention Policies,”

Report of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament

Review: Chekhov's Gun and Nietzsche's Hammer: The Biotechnological Revolution and the Sociology of Knowledge

List of Military Nuclear Accidents

 @ArtyomLukin

 To Intervene or Not to Intervene

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In this episode, Bronwen chats with slow-fashion enthusiast Lauren McKinney about  the classic rules of curating a “capsule wardrobe.” They dig into the damaging impact cultural rules of fashion can have on identity formation and mental health and recognize the significant toll rampant consumerism is taking on our wallets and our environment. 

As Bronwen reconciles with the reality of her closet,  Lauren shares wisdom gleaned from her evolving relationship with sustainability, reflecting on how capsule wardrobing’s underlying framework of “less is more” can be used for the greater good.



LINKS

Lauren’s YouTube Channel

@laurenwmckinney

Postmark

Thredup

Goodwill

For Days

Signe from Use Less

We Are What we Eat by Alice Waters


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How much thought have you given to your end-of-life care?

In this episode, Bronwen investigates the practicalities of the controversial advance directive known as the Do-Not-Resuscitate order.  What does a DNR actually entail? Who makes the final call? What's the likelihood a life-saving method like cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) will actually work?

To answer these questions (plus many more), Bronwen chats with an emergency medicine physician who deals with DNRs on a regular basis. With two decades of hands-on experience, this practicing ER doc sheds light on the many nuances of end-of-life decision-making, the risks and benefits of resuscitative efforts, and the common misconceptions many of us have about DNRs.   

A travel through history’s imaginative methods of resuscitation is also provided, adding context to the impressive array of medical technology we have available today.


LINKS
Reviving the Conversation around CPR/DNR
Hospital do-not-resuscitate orders: why they have failed and how to fix them
Approximately One in Three US Adults Completes Any Type of Advance Directive

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Did you make a New Year’s resolution?

In the pits of winter, millions of people hoping to leave their past failures behind them set a goal for themselves in the New Year – to be healthier and happier, to travel more and Instagram less, to spend more time with friends and family or to snag that promotion at work. But studies show  only 8% of those who make New Year’s resolutions will actually be successful!

So, what gives?

Why do we make resolutions every January 1st? Why do most of us fail by February? 

In this episode, Bronwen explores the ancient tradition of the New Year’s resolution, diving into the social constructions, cultural expectations, and cognitive underpinnings influencing our success.




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Rock, Paper, Scissors…shoot! 

Rock, Paper, Scissors (RPS) is an ancient game known around the world for the unambiguous rules: rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, and paper beats rock.

 In this episode, Bronwen takes a multilevel look at this deceptively simple hand game, from a wacky, costumed subculture to the expensive world of high art, sociological commentary on sport to the dynamics maintaining nature’s biodiversity and beyond.

As always, Bronwen engages in a philosophical inquiry into the rules of RPS – beyond its easy gameplay. She considers how we readily employ RPS as a rule to settle disputes – whoever wins, gets to call the shots. We follow this rule based on the premise that as a random game of chance, it is therefore unbiased and fair. … but is it really?  

 Experts suggest the game can be strategized to one side’s advantage, using insights into human behavior and skills of psychological manipulation to influence a player’s likelihood of success. Can RPS be used to settle disputes more serious than who gets the last slice of pizza? Given its familiarity around the world and precedence of its use in law and order – it’s not that hard to imagine!




LINKS

World Rock Paper Scissors Association
Formalizing Opponent Modeling
Social Cycling and Condition Response in RPS

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In this episode, Bronwen explores the history and cultural significance of the so-called “Rules of the Internet,” a humorous, yet dated, list of axioms, catchphrases, and memes of what the internet is and how users should behave on it. 

Spawned by the infamous 4chan Image Board, these “rules” are not enforceable by any official authority. Rather, they were written as a parody, borrowing from the scientific definition of “rule” to make predictive observations about the phenomena that is our digital landscape.

Bronwen also takes a closer look at the internet’s raunchiest rule, Rule 34: If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions. By applying a lens of evolutionary psychology, she learns to appreciate the diversity of online pornography.



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We all know the rhyme: finders keepers, losers weepers. It ruled the playground, granting us permission to take ownership of lost property without having to deal with moral consequences. But this unwritten rule isn’t just a childhood relic—society historically has maintained its philosophy across every sector, including the legislation, technology, and the military. In this episode, Bronwen digs into the hypocrisies surrounding “finders keepers,” shedding light on the inherent conflict presented between morality, legality, and practicality. From the invisible world of data to the vast infinitude of space, “finders keepers” is a rule that will continue to have a major impact on your life.

Key Points From This Episode:

• An overview of the logic behind “finders keepers, losers weepers.”
• The first known record of the rule.
• What the Bible says about found property.
• Why America is so fond of finders keepers, and the hypocrisy this entails.
• What the Homestead Act was and how it relied on finders keepers logic.
• Rules on possession and how finders keepers can work against you.
• How snipers in the US Army misused finders keepers in Iraq.
• What Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is.
• The three motivators of ethical behavior. 
• Why we feel extra guilt around money.
• The distinctions between lost, mislaid, and abandoned property.
• How to determine “superior claim” to something found.
• Is the claim of “finders keepers” viable in court? 
• The definition of common law.
• What to do if you find if you find an item of value, according to Oregon state law.
• The legal, moral, and ethical challenges of finders keepers. 
• What is meant by “best effort?”
• The history behind the law of estray, and what to do if you find a lost pet.
• English property law in Parker v. British Airways Board.
• What rules apply to shipwrecks and “treasure trove” property? 
• Why you should (or should not) watch the documentary, Finders Keepers. 
• A consideration of morality, in context. 
• the difference between law, ethics, and morality.  
• The implications of teaching our kids “finders keepers, losers weepers.”
• How big data relies upon a finders keepers ethic to justify its business. 
• Finders keepers and the Space Act, and its geopolitical threat

LINKS

TIME Article: The Law of Finders-Keepers

Big data: Finders keepers, losers weepers

2015 Space Act

Scientific American article


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We owe the humble pirate a depth of gratitude.

Sure, they terrorized the seas for hundreds of years—pillaging, plundering, raping, torturing,  and murdering—but violent legacy aside, they gave us the foundation for democracy!

In this episode, Bronwen uses historical record to contextualize pirate code, breaking down the complicated economic situations of the 17th and 18th century  to find newfound empathy for these “ruthless barbarians.” 

Despite their lengthy criminal rap sheets, pirates were victims, too. With crews largely formed of refugee sailors fleeing abusive autocratic rule, these men sought to build egalitarian societies with institutional mechanisms to protect individual freedom and prevent leader predation—over a hundred years before America’s Declaration of Independence. 

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To mask, or not to mask, that is the question...

In this episode, Bronwen tries to understand the reasons why people  refuse to follow preventative measures to contain the coronavirus. By channeling her unconditional positive regard for the human condition, she  looks at the situation from the "other side's" point of view.  This takes her into an exploration of "rules philosophy," allowing her to ask:

How do we choose which rules to follow?
Why do we choose to follow them? Break them?
What are we to do when there are two opposing figures of authority issuing different rules?

Bronwen approaches the mask and social distancing dilemma from as many perspectives as possible in a single episode -- human nature,  social psychology, constitutional scholarship, moral philosophy, and integrated threat theory -- and comes to a surprising conclusion.


Key Points from this Episode:

• What the most basic definition of a rule is and different reasons we follow them.
• The two phases to using rules.
• Why rules need to be flexible, but not too flexible.
• The cultural influence of collectivism vs. individualism in following or not following mask mandates.
• How perceiving the virus s a realistic or symbolic threat influences our willingness to follow public health guidelines.
• Why social distancing hits us in our humanity. 
• The conditions upon which individual liberties are guaranteed by the US Constitution and why the First Amendment doesn’t offer protection from mask mandates.
• The ruling in Jacobson v. Massachusetts and what four standards it set that must be met for governmental health measure to permissible restrict individual rights.
• The instinct of psychological reactance and how it informs our reactions to criticism.
• The fears dividing society any the risk too much fear poses to social cohesion.
• How politics became the most important factor in predicting whether or not we follow the rules.
• The commonalities of human nature and how our instinct to survive made us all react rationally to our perceived threats, regardless of science.
• The charged subtext of mask enforcement.
• What the “broken window theory is” and how its hypothesis is helpful in understanding why former rule followers are now becoming rule breakers.
• Why we are seeing more American flags everywhere.
• The difference between morality and ethics.
• What “negative liberty” is and what role it plays in our federal government. 
• The definition of “rule consequentialism” and what flavor of this theory we see in America.
• What the predominant theory of morality is and how both sides of the political divide are acting accordance with it, despite different perspectives. 
• How the Milgram Experiment can shed light on how Donald Trump became president of the USA. 
• The dangers of moral hypocrisy.
• Realistic steps we can all take to mitigate the volatility in the mask debate.

LINKS

Threat Perception Study from UNC



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What are the do’s and don’ts of proper warfare? 

Just like hosting a formal dinner party, hostile conflict must be proper, well-planned, and scrupulously compliant with customary codes of behavior. 

In this episode, Bronwen is joined by Major General (R) Allen Harrell to discuss the strict rules of the battlefield—and the challenges presented by modern warfare.   With historical analysis and anecdotal evidence, they tackle the rules that help nations balance military interests with the moral values of civilized persons, examine the breaking point between necessary and unnecessary suffering, and discuss the principles behind (and the consequences of violating) the law of war. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Hear about how the “law of war” came into being.
• What important role The Hague Conventions played in establishing modern warfare.
• The five principles of the law of war and how they are practically applied combat
• How targets of military value are determined and what types of properties  are off limits. 
• The reason behind the “shock and awe” campaign in Iraq.
• The difference between jus in bello and jus ad bellum. 
• How the US military practices the Golden Rule in combat.
• The necessary steps taken prior to employing a weapon system.
• JAG officers: who are they and what do they do?
• The gray area of “military necessity.”
• Why modern warfare makes it harder to distinguish a combatant from a noncombatant, and how the US Army decides when to attack.
• What actions a soldier’s right to self-defense allows and prohibits.
• How the laws of war were upheld in the Nuremberg trials and why the Nazi Generals’ arguments of defense were destroyed.
• The ways in which a soldier can intervene if given an illegal order.
• What the implications of dishonorable discharge are on a former solider’s life.
• Why you’re wrong about the Vietnam War.
• How the press amplified the psychological trauma experienced by returning veterans.
• The protected rights of a prisoner of war and how they are different from detainees.
• What procedure soldiers follow when an enemy is captured.
• How proportionality is determined, and what to do about collateral damage.
• The four elements of national power.

**Major General (Retired) Allen Harrell is a retired member of the U.S. Army.  The contents of the podcast are based on his own personal experiences and the views expressed are not intended to reflect the official position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Army.

LINKS

Conduct in Combat

Law Reports of Trials of War Criminals

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