Apply a rule "using your own judgment"

[The idea]

What does it mean to apply a rule "using your own judgment"?

Here are some possibilities:

(1) Imagine what the rule would have been if its creators had faced this situation. Then apply that rule.

(2) Ignore goals and intentions and simply apply the rule in a literal way.

(3) Anticipate how the authorities will interpret the rule.

(4) Start with your own judgment of what should be done and then twist and bend the rule to arrive at what you decided should be done.

Can you think of any others?

 

[Dymanic]

I not only can't think of any more, I'm not even sure I can accept the ones provided. Number one and number three seem to be about using one's own judgement only so far as it serves to reconstruct someone else's, number two avoids using any kind of judgement at all, and number four relies on one's own judgement while basically ignoring the rule.

I'm not sure it isn't a complete oxymoron.

 

[Jyera]

I don't understand what you mean.
You need to provide an example.

What Rules ?
Rule of thumbs?
Rule of a games?
Rule as in Law?

 

[drkitten]

What does it mean to apply a rule "using your own judgment"?

One situation I've seen this phrasing used is where the rule specifies a goal, but does not specify the method to be used. The person following the rule is expected to "use your own judgement" about the best method to achieve the goal.

For example, a friend of mine once gave me a shedload of "old" computers and told me to "give them to some deserving cause." I decided -- my judgement -- that the local secondary school was the best available cause, and so followed the rule using my own judgement.

More generally, I think "using your own judgement" means that if the rule underspecifies something, you're supposed to figure out what the right thing to do is by yourself.

 

[grunion]

....and there's the notion that one should use one's own judgement as to whether the rule applies or not. Like when I tell my kids the "no jumping on the bed" rule and they bombard me with instances where jumping on the bed would be a perfectly appropriate, and even recommended, behavior.

 

[Batman Jr.]

I don't know if this was what you were going for, idea, but I see your conundrum as being very applicable to the law insofar as we are discussing matters such as what the founding fathers thought when they wrote the Constitution and other important documents which were foundational components of the law in the United States. Christian conservatives, regardless of the little veritableness to be seen in their arguments, continually will proclaim America a "Christian nation" whose morals descended from the "Judeo-Christian ethics" of the Ten Commandments by thoroughly maintaining that people like Washington, Jefferson, etc. were all devout Christians seemingly intolerant of the viewpoints of others. Even though we know this is categorically in error of fact and that deism was the creed which predominated the group, a more important question that ought to be posed would have to be this: is it actually a healthy thing to follow our political forebears' recommendations verbatim? After all, many of these same people were slaveholders too! Would that mean a thoughtful reappraisal of slavery was suitable for modern times as well in terms of what they actually intended about "liberty"?

 

[Jyera]

quote:
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Originally posted by The idea
What does it mean to apply a rule "using your own judgment"?
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Another Possibility:

"Do what you judge to be right to do. But if your judgement is wrong, resulting in problems, and/or not to the liking of the rule setter, then the rule setter may still blame you for poor judgement."

Some people has the right to set rules.
Others has power to change it.
Some others has the authority to interpret the rules.
Many just have to follow it.

 

[Bodhi Dharma Zen]

Some people has the right to set rules.
Others has power to change it.
Some others has the authority to interpret the rules.
Many just have to follow it.

And the rest will just ignore them.