The Evolution of Rules and Regulations

Tribal – Purple – Culture

As soon as humans group together to form social structures, rules appear to make this possible. In tribal societies, these rules are not written down; they are passed on through daily life, stories, and rituals. Everyone in the tribe or extended family knows them from childhood, but they are rarely spoken about directly. These unwritten rules exist not only in tribal societies but also in more complex social structures, where they become integrated into the more complex structures.

Think about your own family: there may be things that are simply ‘never done’, but that no one ever explicitly told you. In my family, for example, there was a certain chair in the living room that my father always sat in. No one else would sit there, not because of a written rule, but because we all knew instinctively that it was ‘his place’.

When we start a new job, we often encounter a similar set of unwritten “purple” rules. These might include how people address each other, which lunch spots are acceptable, or who is respected as the “old guard.” These rules are learned by observing and participating — not by reading an employee handbook.

Autocratic – Red – Culture

When tribal cultures grow into kingdoms or empires, power is often concentrated in a single leader or ruling group. In these red-value-driven societies, the unwritten tribal rules are now superseded by the rules set by the leader, written or not. The purpose of these rules is not to ensure fairness or stability for all, but to enforce the will of those in power. They can be used to reward loyalty, punish disobedience, or strengthen control. In these systems, the law is often whatever the ruler says it is at that moment — and it can change overnight.

Because there is a constant struggle for power in these societies, empires may collapse into chaos. The strong seize the spoils, rival factions fight for dominance, and society can descend into a state of anarchy without clear rules or stable structures.

Hierarchical – Blue – Culture

With the emergence of blue values, societies seek stability, order, and a clear moral framework in response to the chaos of societies driven by red values. Laws become codified, presented as fixed, and written down. There is ‘one truth’ that defines what is right and wrong, often grounded in sacred texts, constitutions, or national codes. The application of the law is strict and punitive, and circumstances do not easily influence judgment. For example, if a law states that theft is punishable by cutting off a hand, it is applied regardless of whether the theft was committed out of desperation or hunger.

Many traditional blue cultures also have social hierarchies, with different laws for different groups. In medieval Europe, the nobility, the clergy, and the common people were all subject to separate laws and courts.

Layers Within Society

As our societies become more complex and new values develop, old systems are transcended and included. That means that in medieval Europe — and in modern-day society — there are still unwritten laws, such as the ones I described above in my own family or in organizations. They exist alongside the more complex structures these values develop.

When the next layer – orange values – emerge, society therefore keeps the blue layer of law for stability but adapts its definition and application to meet the needs of an increasingly complex world.

Individual Freedom – Orange – Culture

Orange introduces the idea of individual rights and freedoms. Laws are meant to apply equally to all citizens, regardless of social class. The US Declaration of Independence states “All men are created equal”. Courts begin to take mitigating circumstances into account. The intent of the law becomes as important as its literal wording. However, orange values are also achievement-oriented and pragmatic. New laws and constitutions emerge that define for instance how elections are held, laws and regulations still create order in society, but also need to enable the freedom and free market of Orange.

Those with orange values may use the law when it works for them, but look for ways to avoid or bend it if it stands in the way of success. A modern example is corporate tax avoidance. Amazon, for instance, routes much of its European sales revenue through Luxembourg. This is perfectly legal under current rules, but it bypasses the spirit of local tax laws in countries like Germany and the Netherlands. Such practices often lead to legislative changes or new international agreements to close these loopholes.

When orange values are under pressure, they can slip back into behavior that looks more red-values-driven, and break the law. A famous case is the Enron scandal in the US, where executives used fraud and deception to protect their own interests, disregarding the law altogether.

While orange is based on a well-functioning judiciary system with fairness and freedom for all, in practice, those with greater financial means often enjoy a legal advantage, which undermines the ideal of equal justice for all.

Another aspect of orange-value societies is that there often remains a traditional hierarchy of “old money” or nobility that lives by different rules. An example is the British or Dutch royal families, who, while not having formal power, still exercise significant privilege.

Egalitarian – Green – Culture

When green values dominate, the focus shifts toward equality, empathy, and harmony. Laws are used to expand rights and protect minority groups. An example is the legalization of same-sex marriage in many countries.

Justice systems in green-values-driven societies take personal circumstances into account even more, which in extreme cases can lead to viewing offenders more as victims than perpetrators. There is also more focus on rehabilitation than punishment. Northern European countries, for example, have relatively short prison sentences and strong reintegration programs. This often leads to fewer repeat crimes and better social outcomes, especially when complex values are dominant in society.

However, green can sometimes underestimate the persistence of red-values self-interest, and its compassionate judicial systems can be exploited. The Netherlands, with its liberal laws and drug policies, has also become a key hub for international drug trafficking, an unintended consequence of green values in law.

Green cultures tend to resist hierarchy and prefer to minimize rules altogether, trusting people to act in good faith. While this can work in small, high-trust communities, it can also create opportunities for abuse. When I was part of an intentional community, everyone was asked to pay a monthly contribution, but our egalitarian, green-values-driven culture allowed anyone to pay less or nothing if they claimed financial hardship, no questions asked. When I took over the finances and we couldn’t meet our obligations, I discovered this system was being heavily abused. A family of four with the same income as a single member was paying for each family member, while the single member claimed they couldn’t afford to pay anything. When I brought this inequity to light and proposed fair guidelines based on actual financial capacity, I faced harsh criticism. The community seemed to believe that addressing the problem would disturb their harmony. They preferred ignoring the financial reality rather than confronting the uncomfortable truth that their idealistic approach was failing those who played by the rules.

I see this as an unhealthy form of green, lacking proper integration of earlier systems. It is also visible in certain Facebook groups, where many see moderation as outdated and demand that everyone be able to post and say whatever they want. This often leads to the groups being dominated by a few individuals who bully others, without healthy boundaries, red-values expressions take over.

Distinguishing Meme from Theme

The Spiral Dynamics values systems are often referred to as memes, the deeper values that drive a culture and people. Such as blue seeking order and truth, and orange seeking success and freedom. Themes are the behaviors, strategies, and structures we put in place to express those values. These are the surface manifestations. These two are often mixed up, which leads to confusion, thinking, for instance, that any explicit rules and regulations point to blue values.

The theme ‘written laws’ mostly first emerged in blue-values-driven cultures to create stability, which is key to this meme. In orange and green societies, the theme ‘written laws’ is still essential, but its purpose changes. They become tools for fairness, personal freedom, and inclusion, in alignment with the memes.

Similarly, we can see that societies that regress to less complex cultures mostly still have the meme ‘written laws’, but these are used for the red meme’s values of ensuring power. For example, in today’s Russia, laws are applied selectively to silence dissent, control the media, and protect the interests of those in power. Trials are showcases, and the outcome is politically motivated.

Clashes of values

The six values systems we discussed up to here all see their way of applying rules as the only right way. It is hard for them to accept, or even conceive, that others think differently for valid reasons and that certain circumstances may require a different application of rules. This is something that has been the root cause of many conflicts in history, for instance, those believing in a religious script trying to enforce their truth onto others. It can also be seen in today’s world, where those believing in individual rights try to enforce democracy in a society that prefers the rule of a dominant leader. The next step in our social evolution addresses these issues.

Integral – Yellow – Culture

Yellow values are emerging in our world; let’s explore what this will mean for how we relate to rules and regulations. There are a few points to consider:

Rules and regulations are part of a healthy social system

Yellow is the first system that can see the complexity of our world and our evolutionary development. It understands that the qualities of each layer in the spiral are necessary to build a new level of complexity and, therefore, will include rules and regulations. However, it will not build and apply them in the same manner as a blue values society does, but, just like orange and green, will do this from its value perspective.

Rules become principles

Yellow has a focus on conducting itself in society in a way that keeps the system healthy and contributes to making our planet livable again for all creatures. It has no use for self-interest and abuse of power and therefore tends to focus on trusting and individual competence. In mature cultures with little or no red-values-driven people or subcultures, this means that there is an emphasis on individuals managing themselves. This naturally means that there is less central control, yet there is still a regulative layer which now becomes guidelines of conduct that support individuals to shape their individual and collective experience in a way that benefits all. This can, for instance, mean that people can set their own salary or can make any decision required. However, this is not anarchy; clear guidelines and procedures are defined to make sure this is done transparently and in the interest of the whole. Key here is also to make sure all relevant information is used. Frederic Laloux’s book Reinventing Organizations describes well how several organizations are working more or less guided by these principles.

Life conditions determine what is required.

Yellow understands the conditions that are required for what we just described, and also that life conditions determine what level of management is required. It understands the various values systems that exist in our societies or organizations and will apply what is required.

In a social space that is dominated by blue values, yellow accepts that strict rules and regulations are required. It will probably try to avoid blue pitfalls such as being too punitive, but it recognizes that clarity is required without too much talk about circumstance.

Adaptive

To conclude, we see that yellow includes rules and regulations and is adaptive in its application; it has transcended the naivety of green. Yellow is strict where required, and lenient where possible. As yellow, unlike green, is not focused on personal harmony, it is not afraid of friction and setting clear boundaries when required.

Conclusion

Rules have been part of our social constructs throughout human history, first unwritten and later documented in scriptures, law books, and constitutions. They are tools that evolve with us, from unwritten customs in tribal societies, to strict codes in hierarchical ones, to flexible guidelines in integral systems. Only in the unhealthier green egalitarian cultures that see rules as a barrier to find harmony, or anarchy that can arise from red values, is there a tendency to want no rules or regulations.

In our complex world, rules and regulations need to adapt to life conditions and values at play. If ego plays up, rules need to be stricter. If people have maturity and the ability to deal with social complexity, we can rely more on their capacity to self-organize and regulate. Still, we will always need to be aware that if circumstances change or other values enter our social system, we may need to adap