arbitrariness

Arbitrariness is the quality of being determined by personal choice, convenience, or conventional rules rather than by necessity, evidence, or objective grounds. The term is used across disciplines to describe selections or assignments that lack inherent justification and could in principle be made differently without violating external constraints. In many contexts, arbitrariness is acknowledged as a practical feature rather than a fault, yet it can raise concerns about fairness, consistency, or epistemic reliability.

In linguistics, the arbitrariness of the linguistic sign is a central idea of structuralism: the link between a word’s form and its meaning is not determined by any natural connection, but by social convention. Exceptions exist in iconic or motivated signs where similarity or association plays a role.

In law and public administration, arbitrariness refers to decision-making detached from rules or due process. Legal systems aim to constrain discretion to prevent arbitrary rulings, ensuring predictability and equal treatment under a framework of statutes, precedents, and procedures.

In philosophy and social science, arbitrariness can describe norms, values, or standards that lack universal justification. Critics argue that excessive arbitrariness undermines objectivity, while supporters emphasize the role of convention in human systems and the impossibility of a purely necessity-driven order.

In science and mathematics, choices of models, parameters, or initial conditions can be arbitrary placeholders. Researchers seek to minimize genuine arbitrariness by empirical testing, theoretical principles, or shared conventions, though some conventions persist for convenience.