onerule

Onerule is a proposed principle describing a single overarching rule intended to govern a system or domain. Used in design discussions, governance debates, and speculative fiction, onerule functions as a thought experiment about whether complexity can be tamed by a singular criterion. It is not an established theory in any formal discipline, but rather a heuristic used to explore trade-offs between simplicity and flexibility.

Origin and usage: The term blends "one" and "rule" and appears mainly in informal or theoretical discourse. It is invoked to frame questions about universal applicability, universal validation, and how exceptions should be handled in rule-based systems.

Conceptual framework: An onerule posits a single criterion that determines all outcomes, decisions, or interpretations. Proponents cite predictability, transparency, and ease of reasoning; critics note the difficulty of selecting a universally suitable rule and the danger of edge cases.

Applications and interpretations: In software engineering, an onerule might be a single validation or error-handling standard. In policy or governance, it could represent a unitary decision criterion. In theoretical contexts, it is treated as an axiom or global constraint that constrains a model.

Criticism and limitations: Most analysts concede that many real-world domains resist a lone rule. Overgeneralization, rigidity, and unintended consequences are common risks. Some proposals treat onerule as a starting point rather than a final authority, supplemented by conditional rules or fallback mechanisms.

See also: simplicity, principle of least astonishment, single-responsibility principle, KISS principle.