Niven's laws

Not to be confused with Niven's theorem or Neven's law.

Niven's laws were named after science fiction author Larry Niven, who has periodically published them as "how the Universe works" as far as he can tell. These were most recently rewritten on January 29, 2002 (and published in Analog magazine in the November 2002 issue). Among the rules are:

  • Never fire a laser at a mirror.
  • Giving up freedom for security is beginning to look naïve. (This one is based on a quote - "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," from Benjamin Franklin.)
  • It is easier to destroy than to create.
  • Ethics change with technology.
  • The only universal message in science fiction: There exist minds that think as well as you do, but differently.