There are many people who claim that people who violate societal rules are arrogant, “narcissistic” or “sociopathic.” It is time that this argument be seriously addressed.

Different societies have different rules and for different reasons. Some of these reasons are better than others. If your society tells you that you should throw sulfuric acid into the face of a child for going to school, then that is a rule that you are obligated to break.

Sometimes societal rules are for the better. At other times they are for the worse. The real problem with many societal rules is as follows. They are unofficial. They have not been signed into law. And that means that they constitute hidden tyranny, one that is not accountable to the public and that is not subject to check and balance as all authority is meant to be in a democracy.

So that while many people who violate social rules do so for wrong reasons, there are others who do so for right reasons. Once again, if your society tells you that you should throw sulfuric acid into the face of a child for going to school, then that is a rule that you are obligated to break. This is not arrogance or “narcissism” or “sociopathy”; this is principle, conscience and moral courage.

Are all societal rules bad? Not at all. Many are there for right reasons. It is rightful to strive for such things as hard work, ethics and strength. However when the social rules are unofficial, they are not subject to checks and balances and accountability. And this means that they are an attempt to create a hidden tyranny, one that goes under the radar of public opinion and puts people in its service.

Once again, there can be any number of reasons why one would violate social rules. Some are right and some are wrong. Rebels can be good and rebels can be bad. If a rebel pushes an inferior way such as Nazism or Muslim fundamentalism, then that rebel must be confronted. If a rebel pushes innovation, compassion and ingenuity, then that rebel deserves our support.

As with anything human, rebellion can be good and it can be bad. What matters is what one is putting forward. Neither rebels nor conformists are good or bad. Both are capable of both. And the correct solution is to consider what are the reasons for the stance taken and whether it is actually right or wrong.