> The common definition of “arbitrary” has a connotation of randomness to it. My point was that this isn't random but directed
Yes, it's directed at solving a problem, but the specific solution we arrived at is somewhat random. I'm not sure how to make this clearer.
If you take any set of historical problems and the regulations that were intended to address them, do you agree that a different set of regulations could have solved the same problems? If different ones would also have worked, then aren't the ones we ended up with somewhat arbitrary?
Yes, it's directed at solving a problem, but the specific solution we arrived at is somewhat random. I'm not sure how to make this clearer.
If you take any set of historical problems and the regulations that were intended to address them, do you agree that a different set of regulations could have solved the same problems? If different ones would also have worked, then aren't the ones we ended up with somewhat arbitrary?