Proto: Effective deference
(AI = 3)
[Consider these hypothetical rules:
Rule 9001 (Power=1) There are four lights.
Rule 9002a (Power=2) There are five lights, unless another rule says
otherwise.
This successfully avoids conflict with Rule 9001.
Rule 9002b (Power=2) There are five lights. This rule defers to other
rules saying otherwise.
This doesn't, because Power is checked first. But it should, so let's
check it first. Also does some general minor cleanup.]
Amend Rule 1030 (Precedence between Rules) to read:
In a conflict between Rules, the conflict shall be resolved by
performing the following comparisons in the sequence written in
this rule, until the conflict is resolved.
- If at least one of the Rules in conflict explicitly says of
itself that it defers to another Rule (or type of Rule), and
such provisions would resolve the conflict without
contradictions, then they shall be used to do so.
- In a conflict between Rules with different Power, the Rule with
the higher Power takes precedence over the Rule with the lower
Power.
- If all of the Rules in conflict explicitly say that their
precedence relations are determined by some other Rule for
determining precedence relations, then the determinations of the
precedence-determining Rule shall be used to do so.
- If at least one of the Rules in conflict explicitly says of
itself that it takes precedence over another Rule (or type of
Rule), and such provisions would resolve the conflict without
contradictions, then they shall be used to do so.
- If any of the rules in conflict have ID numbers, then the Rule
with the lowest ID number takes precedence.
- The Rule enacted earliest takes precedence.
Clauses in any other rule that broadly claim precedence or
deference (e.g. over or to "all rules" of a certain class) shall
be, prima facie, considered to be limited claims of precedence or
deference that are applicable only when such claims are evaluated
as described within the above sequence.
No change to the ruleset can occur that would cause a Rule to
directly claim precedence over this Rule as a means of determining
precedence. This applies to changes by the enactment or amendment
of a Rule, or of any other form. This Rule takes precedence over
any Rule that would permit such a change to the ruleset.
