2001-12-06 08:30 am

should i stop or should i go?

stoppersgoers
103

so there you have it, most of us would stop, choosing to let a bodieless token of authority with no mind and no judgement rule over our common sense. the other three of us are probably dangerous anarchistic sociopaths with no regard for the law when it doesn't suit us.

Seriously... this question, asked here and on debate, was the result of an earlier debate question, essentially, "so you think that athiests are more likely to be amoral, since they have no higher authority to answer to?" The traffic light question is a test of my answer, mainly that people behave the way they do largely because of the "social contract" which they will follow regardless of contrary evidence, as long as no harm to them is involved, and they will follow this regardless of thier individual beliefs.

My answer to this question, (to which there isn't a real "right" answer, i can see the points of both,) by the way, is to run the light after first slowing and then stopping at it... essentially treating it as a stoplight. i do this in seattle quite often, and no harm comes to me.
2001-12-04 10:04 am
Entry tags:

red light

it is 3am, you are in Colorado Springs, a town of about 65 thousand people. it is so flat you could knock a pool ball in a bar outside of Fort Carson into a corner pocket in Salinas Kansas. You can see for miles in all directions.

You are approaching an intersection, about a hundred yards off, the light turns red. You can see that there is no one, i mean no one... for miles. do you stop? Why or why not?