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Laws That Aren't Laws

Laws That Aren't Laws: Parkinson's Law

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Parkinson's Law

BBC Radio 4 - Laws That Aren't Laws, Parkinson's Law

Comedian Robin Ince explores laws that govern our lives that really aren't, but should be.

"Work expands to fill the time available for completion". Robin Ince explores the origins and impact of Cyril Northcote Parkinson's law of bureaucracy.

Comedian Robin Ince explores the laws that govern our lives that really aren’t, but still somehow are true. We all know how we live in a deterministic universe governed by carefully described quantifiable scientific laws and principles but, then in a practical sense, we really don’t. These laws are the hidden truths which really preside over our lives – quirky, useful or entertaining rules, which, if they are well known, crop up without explanation or, if confined to specialist circles, deserve to be more widely understood and appreciated.

Episode 2 Parkinson's Law
Cyril Northcote Parkinson may have trained as a naval historian, but it was his succinct humorous essay for the Economist magazine in 1955 that was to overshadow much of his career. In it, he laid out his fundamental law of bureaucracy - "work expands to fill the time available" - and he went on to explain how organisations become bloated regardless of the work in hand. It was instantly recognised by subordinates, and made for uncomfortable reading for those near the top of any institutional hierarchy. Robin Ince explores how the law and its corollaries have taken on a life of their own, and are now being reinterpreted as remote working becomes the new normal for many.

Producer Adrian Washbourne

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Comedian Robin Ince explores the laws that aren't really laws, but are the hidden truths which nonetheless preside over our lives.

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