Zefram wrote: > We can currently have rules modified by rules, so no problem there. > We've previously had subgames involving non-proposed rule changes, > of course, most notably the Frankenstein Monster.
I didn't say it was impossible (or even difficult) in theory, it's just a question of elegance. If you're going to say "this subclass of rules is modifiable by new mechanism X", you then have to define the subclass, regulate how rules become a member of that subclass (e.g. so the Rulekeepor can't move R101 into that subclass), etc. Especially if you want text within that subclass to follow a differing precedence or numbering system, or have different functional units. (Individual "cards" could be moved at will within a defining block, equivalent to moving paragraphs within a Rule, which shouldn't be allowed in the main ruleset). A simple, elegant way is a single rule: "Whole Document Y is changeable by mechanism X, and has the force of this defining Rule." Whole document Y can even be maintained by the Rulekeepor, and published in the same post as the Rulesets, if you like. Of course, it raises a philosophical issue of delegation of authority, but we've been through that somewhat. -Goethe
