> Why is it that I am comfortable crossing the intersection when I have a green light? Because I have confidence that those who would break the social contract of following agreed upon laws will be punished, so they are deterred from breaking them.
It's really quite telling that in countries where religious strictures are held to be more important than individual freedom, like the US, the prevailing attitude is that "people will only do the right thing if they are afraid of being punished if they don't".
Whereas, in a country like the UK, with considerably more rights and freedoms and less reliance on Judeo-Christian religion, the idea is that "people will do the right thing, because they expect others to do the right thing in return".
It's really quite telling that in countries where religious strictures are held to be more important than individual freedom, like the US, the prevailing attitude is that "people will only do the right thing if they are afraid of being punished if they don't".
Whereas, in a country like the UK, with considerably more rights and freedoms and less reliance on Judeo-Christian religion, the idea is that "people will do the right thing, because they expect others to do the right thing in return".