On: Five laws of human nature

[aneil]

I think we can safely toss out Sayres Law (the "intensity" of academic squabbles [is] a function of the "triviality" of the issue at hand):

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/18/nyregion/education-lessons... "In government, people know how to disagree gracefully, and you never scorch the earth because you know that today's opponent is someone with whom you may have to make common agreement tomorrow," said Donald Kennedy, the president of Stanford and a former Commmissioner of the Federal Food and Drug Administration. "Academics find it difficult to have disagreement without alienation."

[Psyonic → aneil]

I have a feeling that graceful disagreement isn't working so well in politics lately. Shouting "Liar!" at the President is just one of many examples.

[ars → aneil]

Sayres Law is a variant of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikeshed