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class="mw-page-title-main">Arbitrariness</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 15 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-15" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">15 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%B3%D9%81" title="تعسف – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="تعسف" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitrarietat" title="Arbitrarietat – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Arbitrarietat" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitr%C3%A1rnost" title="Arbitrárnost – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Arbitrárnost" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitrarit%C3%A4t" title="Arbitrarität – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Arbitrarität" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitraarsus" title="Arbitraarsus – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Arbitraarsus" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitraire" title="Arbitraire – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Arbitraire" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kemanasukaan" title="Kemanasukaan – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Kemanasukaan" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitrariet%C3%A0" title="Arbitrarietà – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Arbitrarietà" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BB%BB%E6%84%8F" title="任意 – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="任意" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-scn mw-list-item"><a href="https://scn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitraritati" title="Arbitraritati – Sicilian" lang="scn" hreflang="scn" data-title="Arbitraritati" data-language-autonym="Sicilianu" data-language-local-name="Sicilian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Sicilianu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mielivaltaisuus" title="Mielivaltaisuus – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" 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i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Not to be confused with <a href="/wiki/Arbitration" title="Arbitration">Arbitration</a>.</div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">For the concept in trademark law, see <a href="/wiki/Trademark_distinctiveness" title="Trademark distinctiveness">trademark distinctiveness</a>.</div> <p><b>Arbitrariness</b> is the quality of being "determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle". It is also used to refer to a choice made without any specific criterion or restraint.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Arbitrary decisions are not necessarily the same as <a href="/wiki/Random" class="mw-redirect" title="Random">random</a> decisions. For example, during the <a href="/wiki/1973_oil_crisis" title="1973 oil crisis">1973 oil crisis</a>, Americans were allowed to purchase gasoline only on odd-numbered days if their license plate was odd, and on even-numbered days if their license plate was even. The system was well-defined and not random in its restrictions; however, since license plate numbers are completely unrelated to a person's fitness to purchase gasoline, it was still an arbitrary division of people. Similarly, schoolchildren are often organized by their <a href="/wiki/Surname" title="Surname">surname</a> in alphabetical order, a non-random yet an arbitrary method—at least in cases where surnames are irrelevant. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Philosophy">Philosophy</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Arbitrariness&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Philosophy"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%EB%B3%B5%EC%A7%80%ED%98%84%EC%9E%A5%EC%8B%A4%EC%8A%B5_%EB%AA%A9%EC%A0%81%EA%B3%BC_%EB%AA%A9%ED%91%9C.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%EB%B3%B5%EC%A7%80%ED%98%84%EC%9E%A5%EC%8B%A4%EC%8A%B5_%EB%AA%A9%EC%A0%81%EA%B3%BC_%EB%AA%A9%ED%91%9C.jpg/220px-%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%EB%B3%B5%EC%A7%80%ED%98%84%EC%9E%A5%EC%8B%A4%EC%8A%B5_%EB%AA%A9%EC%A0%81%EA%B3%BC_%EB%AA%A9%ED%91%9C.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="147" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%EB%B3%B5%EC%A7%80%ED%98%84%EC%9E%A5%EC%8B%A4%EC%8A%B5_%EB%AA%A9%EC%A0%81%EA%B3%BC_%EB%AA%A9%ED%91%9C.jpg/330px-%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%EB%B3%B5%EC%A7%80%ED%98%84%EC%9E%A5%EC%8B%A4%EC%8A%B5_%EB%AA%A9%EC%A0%81%EA%B3%BC_%EB%AA%A9%ED%91%9C.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%EB%B3%B5%EC%A7%80%ED%98%84%EC%9E%A5%EC%8B%A4%EC%8A%B5_%EB%AA%A9%EC%A0%81%EA%B3%BC_%EB%AA%A9%ED%91%9C.jpg/440px-%EC%82%AC%ED%9A%8C%EB%B3%B5%EC%A7%80%ED%98%84%EC%9E%A5%EC%8B%A4%EC%8A%B5_%EB%AA%A9%EC%A0%81%EA%B3%BC_%EB%AA%A9%ED%91%9C.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1920" data-file-height="1280" /></a><figcaption>A person climbing a staircase towards a goal, which is a telos</figcaption></figure> <p>Arbitrary actions are closely related to <a href="/wiki/Teleology" title="Teleology">teleology</a>, the study of purpose. Actions lacking a <i><a href="/wiki/Telos_(philosophy)" class="mw-redirect" title="Telos (philosophy)">telos</a></i>, a goal, are necessarily arbitrary. With no end to measure against, there can be no standard applied to choices, so all decisions are alike. Note that arbitrary or random methods in the standard sense of <i>arbitrary</i> may not qualify as arbitrary choices philosophically if they were done in furtherance of a larger purpose (such as the examples above for the purposes of establishing discipline in school and avoiding overcrowding at gas stations). </p><p><a href="/wiki/Nihilism" title="Nihilism">Nihilism</a> is the philosophy that believes that there is no purpose in the universe, and that <i>every</i> choice is arbitrary.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> According to nihilism, the universe contains no value and is essentially meaningless. Because the universe and all of its constituents contain no higher goal for us to make subgoals from, all aspects of human life and experiences are completely arbitrary. There is no right or wrong decision, thought or practice and whatever choice a human being makes is just as meaningless and empty as any other choice he or she could have made.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Many brands of <a href="/wiki/Theism" title="Theism">theism</a>, the belief in a <a href="/wiki/Deity" title="Deity">deity</a> or deities, believe that everything has a purpose and that <i>nothing</i> is arbitrary. In these philosophies, God created the universe for a reason, and every event flows from that. Even seemingly random events cannot escape God's hand and purpose. This is somewhat related to the <a href="/wiki/Argument_from_design" class="mw-redirect" title="Argument from design">argument from design</a>—the argument for God's existence because a purpose can be found in the universe. </p><p>Arbitrariness is also related to <a href="/wiki/Ethics" title="Ethics">ethics</a>, the philosophy of decision-making. Even if a person has a goal, they may choose to attempt to achieve it in ways that may be considered arbitrary. <a href="/wiki/Rationalism" title="Rationalism">Rationalism</a> holds that knowledge comes about through intellectual calculation and deduction; many rationalists (though not all) apply this to ethics as well. All decisions should be made through reason and logic, not via whim or how one "feels" what is right. Randomness may occasionally be acceptable as part of a subtask in furtherance of a larger goal, but not in general. </p><p>In <a href="/wiki/Semiotics" title="Semiotics">semiotics</a>, the general theory of signs, sign systems, and sign processes, <a href="/wiki/Ferdinand_de_Saussure" title="Ferdinand de Saussure">Saussure</a> introduced the notion of <a href="/wiki/Course_in_General_Linguistics#Arbitrariness" title="Course in General Linguistics">arbitrariness</a> according to which there is no necessary connection between the material sign (or <i>signifier</i>), and the entity it refers to or denotes as its meaning (or <i>signified</i>) as a mental concept or real object. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Linguistics">Linguistics</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Arbitrariness&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Linguistics"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The principle of semiotic arbitrariness refers to the idea that <a href="/wiki/Social_convention" class="mw-redirect" title="Social convention">social convention</a> is what imbues meaning to a given <a href="/wiki/Semiosis" title="Semiosis">semiosis</a> (any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, including the production of meaning) or sign.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Mathematics">Mathematics</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Arbitrariness&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Mathematics"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Universal-quantification.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Universal-quantification.svg/220px-Universal-quantification.svg.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="233" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Universal-quantification.svg/330px-Universal-quantification.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Universal-quantification.svg/440px-Universal-quantification.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="88" data-file-height="93" /></a><figcaption>The symbol of a universal quantifier</figcaption></figure> <p>A <a href="/wiki/Symbol_(formal)" title="Symbol (formal)">logical symbol</a> is a fundamental concept in logic, tokens of which may be marks or a configuration of marks which form a particular pattern. </p><p>In mathematics, arbitrary corresponds to the term "any" and the <a href="/wiki/Universal_quantifier" class="mw-redirect" title="Universal quantifier">universal quantifier</a> <span class="mwe-math-element"><span class="mwe-math-mathml-inline mwe-math-mathml-a11y" style="display: none;"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="{\displaystyle \forall }"> <semantics> <mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mstyle displaystyle="true" scriptlevel="0"> <mi mathvariant="normal">∀</mi> </mstyle> </mrow> <annotation encoding="application/x-tex">{\displaystyle \forall }</annotation> </semantics> </math></span><img src="https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/media/math/render/svg/bfc1a1a9c4c0f8d5df989c98aa2773ed657c5937" class="mwe-math-fallback-image-inline mw-invert skin-invert" aria-hidden="true" style="vertical-align: -0.338ex; width:1.293ex; height:2.176ex;" alt="{\displaystyle \forall }"></span>, as in an arbitrary division of a <a href="/wiki/Set_(mathematics)" title="Set (mathematics)">set</a> or an arbitrary <a href="/wiki/Permutation" title="Permutation">permutation</a> of a sequence. Its use implies generality and that a statement does not only apply to special cases, but that one may select any available choice and the statement will still hold. For example, one might say that: </p> <dl><dd>"Given an arbitrary integer, multiplying it by two will result in an <a href="/wiki/Even_and_odd_numbers" class="mw-redirect" title="Even and odd numbers">even number</a>."</dd></dl> <p>Even further, the implication of the use of "arbitrary" is that generality will hold—even if an opponent were to choose the item in question. In which case, <i>arbitrary</i> can be regarded as synonymous to <i>worst-case</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Law">Law</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Arbitrariness&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Law"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><i>Arbitrary</i> comes from the Latin <i>arbitrarius</i>, the source of <i>arbiter</i>; someone who is tasked to judge some matter.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> An arbitrary legal judgment is a decision made at the discretion of the judge, not one that is fixed by law.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-:1_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In some countries, a prohibition of arbitrariness is enshrined into the <a href="/wiki/Constitution" title="Constitution">constitution</a>. Article 9 of the <a href="/wiki/Swiss_Federal_Constitution" title="Swiss Federal Constitution">Swiss Federal Constitution</a> theoretically overrides even democratic decisions in prohibiting arbitrary government action.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The <a href="/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States" title="Supreme Court of the United States">US Supreme Court</a> has overturned laws for having "<a href="/wiki/Rational_basis_review" title="Rational basis review">no rational basis</a>." A recent study of the U.S. asylum system suggests that arbitrariness in decision-making might be the cause of large disparities in outcomes between different adjudicators, a phenomenon described as <a href="/wiki/Refugee_roulette" title="Refugee roulette">refugee roulette</a>. </p><p>Article 330 of the Russian penal code defines arbitrariness as a specific crime, but with a very broad definition encompassing any "actions contrary to the order presented by a law".<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Arbitrariness&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Randomness" title="Randomness">Randomness</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Existential_nihilism" title="Existential nihilism">Existential nihilism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Metaphysical_nihilism" title="Metaphysical nihilism">Metaphysical nihilism</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Arbitrariness&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-:1-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:1_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:1_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/arbitrariness">"arbitrariness"</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">21 April</span> 2018</span> – via The Free Dictionary.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=arbitrariness&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefreedictionary.com%2Farbitrariness&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AArbitrariness" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Magnus, Bernd (1971). "Nihilism, Reason, and "The Good"." <i>The Review of Metaphysics.</i> <b>25</b> (2):292–310.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.iep.utm.edu/nihilism/">"Nihilism"</a>. <i>Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2019-11-19</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Internet+Encyclopedia+of+Philosophy&rft.atitle=Nihilism&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iep.utm.edu%2Fnihilism%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AArbitrariness" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFChandler" class="citation web cs1">Chandler, Daniel. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/S4B/sem02.html?LMCL=gWTre7">"Semiotics for Beginners"</a>. <i>visual-memory.co.uk</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2019-11-19</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=visual-memory.co.uk&rft.atitle=Semiotics+for+Beginners&rft.aulast=Chandler&rft.aufirst=Daniel&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fvisual-memory.co.uk%2Fdaniel%2FDocuments%2FS4B%2Fsem02.html%3FLMCL%3DgWTre7&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AArbitrariness" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Tel, Gérard (2000). <i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=vlpnS25qAJQC&q=arbitrary">Introduction to distributed algorithms</a>.</i> Cambridge University Press. p. 245.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=arbitrary">Online Etymology Dictionary</a>: "'deciding by one's own discretion,' from L. arbitrarius, from arbiter (see arbiter). The original meaning gradually to mean ‘capricious’ (1646) and ‘despotic’ (1642).”</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Curtis, Thomas. <i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=p31MAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22discretion+of+the+judge%22+and+arbitrary&pg=PA565">The London Encyclopaedia</a></i>, page 565 (1829): “Arbitrary, and the words more immediately connected with it, signify that the decision of the arbiter is made in consequence of his own uncontrolled will, or in consequence of reasons which do not appear.”</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/1/101.en.pdf">Federal Constitution of the Swiss Federation</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150418001954/http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/1/101.en.pdf">Archived</a> 2015-04-18 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>. The Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060621193129/http://www.russian-criminal-code.com/PartII/SectionX/Chapter32.html">"Article 330. Arbitrariness"</a>. <i>The Criminal Code Of The Russian Federation</i>. Archived from the original on June 21, 2006. <q>Arbitrariness, that is the unauthorized commission of actions contrary to the order presented by a law or any other normative legal act,</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Criminal+Code+Of+The+Russian+Federation&rft.atitle=Article+330.+Arbitrariness&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.russian-criminal-code.com%2FPartII%2FSectionX%2FChapter32.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AArbitrariness" class="Z3988"></span><span class="cs1-maint citation-comment"><code class="cs1-code">{{<a href="/wiki/Template:Cite_web" title="Template:Cite web">cite web</a>}}</code>: CS1 maint: unfit URL (<a href="/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_unfit_URL" title="Category:CS1 maint: unfit URL">link</a>)</span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Arbitrariness&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237033735">@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox{display:none!important}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}</style><div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="34" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/51px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/68px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="300" data-file-height="355" /></span></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Wikiquote has quotations related to <i><b><a href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Special:Search/Arbitrariness" class="extiw" title="q:Special:Search/Arbitrariness">Arbitrariness</a></b></i>.</div></div> </div> <ul><li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/16px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/24px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/32px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="512" /></a></span> The dictionary definition of <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/arbitrary" class="extiw" title="wiktionary:arbitrary"><i>arbitrary</i></a> at Wiktionary</li></ul>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; 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