The Invisible Rules That Keep Our Town Running

Imagine you're staying at a hotel. Most of us feel comfortable grabbing that small bottle of shampoo provided for us, but none of us would think about taking the larger, wall-mounted dispenser home, even without a sign saying not to. It simply doesn't feel right; that's our internal sense of respect and boundaries at work, the unwritten rule we all follow.

Most of us assume that laws and police are what keep our community safe and our local businesses running. But in reality, our town depends far more on unwritten, simple rules we all follow every day.

A recent episode of the EconTalk podcast, hosted by Russ Roberts and Anthony Gill, discusses this idea: society functions not mainly through formal laws, but through the quiet social norms we all feel responsible for maintaining.

(*) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/...

These invisible rules guide far more of our actions than any law book ever could.

Why We Can't Rely on Enforcement Alone

The government can't police every minor action. No hotel can search every guest's suitcase. Stores can't watch every grape someone samples. If they tried, prices would skyrocket to pay for the extra security, and life would become unbearably slow and expensive.

This is why society depends on "obedience to the unenforceable." These are the rules we choose to follow simply because they're the right thing to do.

There's no law against taking a half-used toilet paper roll from your hotel bathroom. But almost no one does. Not because we're afraid of being arrested, but because it feels improper.

We all carry an inner voice—our conscience—that quietly asks, "Is this who I want to be?" Most people want to be seen as respectable neighbors who do the right thing, even when no one is watching.

Honesty Is What Keeps Prices Down

These unwritten rules have a significant effect on everyday life.

If too many people take advantage—pretending to be hurt to get a bus seat or taking more than they should from a store—prices rise for everyone. Businesses must spend more on prevention, cameras, and loss coverage. And when trust drops, so does the quality of life in a town.

Simply put, when honesty fades, costs rise, and services decline.

What Happens When AI Doesn't Know the "Invisible Rules"?

As more technology enters our lives, especially artificial intelligence, a new question emerges: Can a machine understand these unwritten rules?

AI can follow instructions perfectly. But it doesn't feel shame, kindness, or the urge to "do the right thing" the way people do. It doesn't instinctively know when to offer a seat to an older resident or when to show grace in a complicated situation.

Our town works because people use good judgment—not just rules.

Why It Matters for Our Community

If we want to preserve what makes our town strong—trust, safety, and reasonable prices—we need to keep reinforcing the simple values that make everyday life smoother:

• Do the right thing, even when it's small.
• Treat shared spaces with respect.
• Be honest in ways no one will ever measure.
• Teach our children that character matters.

AI may help us in many ways, but it cannot replace the basic human conscience that keeps a community healthy, and this is coming from someone who wrote a book on AI.

In the end, it's the invisible rules, our own sense of right and wrong, that keep our town running well.