Author(s): Lorraine Daston

History

Rules order almost every aspect of our lives. They set our work hours, dictate how we drive, tell us whether to offer an extended hand or cheek in greeting, and organize the rites of life, from birth through death. We may chafe under the rules we have and yearn for ones we don't, yet no culture could do without them. Lorraine Daston traces their development in the Western tradition and shows how rules have evolved from ancient to modern times. Drawing on a rich trove of examples-from legal treatises and cookbooks to military manuals, traffic regulations, and game hand-books-Daston demonstrates that while the content of rules id dazzlingly diverse, the forms they take are surprisingly few and long-lived.