Rules prescribe mechanical actions while principles guide reflective judgment

Evidence

I do not know whether you draw a distinction between principles and rules. But I do. Not only do I make a distinction, but I say that this distinction is real and important. Rules are practical; they are habitual ways of doing things according to prescription. But principles are intellectual; they are useful methods of judging things. Rules seek to tell an agent just what course of action to pursue. Principles do not prescribe a specific course of action. Rules, like cooking recipes, do tell just what to do and how to do it. A principle, such as that of justice, supplies a main heading by reference to which he is to consider the bearings of his desires and purposes; it guides him in his thinking by suggesting to him the important consideration which he should bear in mind. — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 993

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the rules-versus-principles distinction that grounds Ambedkar’s whole case against rule-based religion.
• DEEPTHINKING: A dense, precise conceptual dichotomy with wide transfer — rules as recipes versus principles as orienting headings — that undergirds the chapter’s religious critique.
• XREF: connects to: Policies state objectives while principles justify them with reasons. — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process: Basic Problems in…, 2711; Principles and policies mainly guide trained official discretion. — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process: Basic Problems in…, 2726; Friedman’s methodology deliberately left room for professional judgment over mechanical rules — Donald MacKenzie, An Engine, Not a Camera: How Financial…, 59