Using Road Traffic as a Metaphor for Civilization
Subject
Look at a Four Way Stop Intersection to See Why Civilization Works
First, if you want to see clues about our future, step away from your computer screen. Go outside and stand near a four-way intersection that’s regulated only by stop signs. Watch for a while as drivers take turns, not-quite-stopping while they gauge each others’ intentions, negotiating rapid deals with nods and flashes of eye-contact. You’ll spot some rudeness, certainly. But exceptions seldom rattle this silent…
Similarity
Object
Watching Cars Merge on the Freeway as an Example of Civilized Behavior
Look on the screen. This is where we are. This is who we are. (points to the Jumbotron screen which show traffic merging into a tunnel). These cars—that’s a schoolteacher who probably thinks his taxes are too high. He’s going to work. There’s another car-a woman with two small kids who can’t really think about anything else right now. There’s another car, swinging, I don’t even know if you can see it—the lady’s in…
Why they relate
Jon Stewart and David Brin use freeway lanes merging and a four-way stop sign as demonstrations that human beings have a natural proclivity toward working with one another, and that society works because we can resolve disputes in a cordial fashion.