even if the entire world has moved on to a place where the old rule is senseless.

I don't think that the world should be the standard. Just because some rule has become senseless because the world has shifted does not always mean that the rule - or the interpretation of the rule to connect back to [Bad username or site: sophiaserpentia</i @ livejournal.com]'s point about interpretation - is the problem. When contradictions arise, sometimes it is the world that needs to be changed. But at the same time, our interpretation of the rule often needs to shift within this new context as well so that we continue to address the *why* of the rule and not just its what.