Rule Certainty over Rule Proliferation

Rules coordinate behavior only when people can know what is expected and anticipate what follows from breaking it. As obligations multiply, ordinary conduct begins to trigger violations; full compliance becomes unrealistic, so people stop treating every rule as binding.

That gives enforcers discretion over which violations matter and whom to punish. The governing signal shifts from “this rule reliably applies” to “this rule may be invoked against you.” Certainty collapses, selective enforcement becomes easier, and navigating exceptions can become more valuable than complying. The better target is therefore not the largest possible rulebook but Credible Enforcement of a small, legible core.

The material establishes a problem with excessive minor rules, not a case for eliminating complexity everywhere. A short rulebook can still fail if its rules are vague, unjust, or inconsistently enforced; the principle favors certainty over proliferation, not simplicity at any cost.