Law Vs Consensus: The Case Of Driving in Cyprus
I live in a country where drivers do pretty much whatever they want. The reason for this is that the island is pretty small. We are short of a million people so if one has the right connections one pretty much knows everyone. If you happen to get in trouble for things like driving, a quick phone call to the right person can make the ticket go away.
This simple social paradigm created a rather interesting revelation — almost a case study due to the small size of the island. Laws in general don't mean much in Cyprus because of this rampant nepotic system. The higher you find yourself up in the pyramid the easier is to get away from trouble. Search deep enough in the family tree and everyone is a cousin with someone else.
Nonetheless, if you happen to overhear conversations in coffee shops you will hear people complaining about the system. In one hand, we all manage to make up our own rules as we go and on the other, due to this lawlessness, we are quick to complain if we are found to be in a disadvantageous position. This demonstrates (evidently) our human nature. We always try to blame someone else but ourselves. In other words, we fuck up, find ourselves fallen by own sword, and we also manage to complain about it.
This situation often gets outsiders in trouble. If you happen to visit Cyprus and follow our rules for driving don't be surprised if you get in trouble either my means of crashing or getting a ticket. It might sound absurd but this is the power of the consensus over the power of law. Cypriots have been brought up generation after generation to follow the rule of the street. If someone fucks up the round-about lane, the fellow cypriot knows how to follow the same fuck-up strategy in order synchronize and avoid a crash. If you are a law abiding citizen and happen to go by the book you will most likely get in an accident. After this, you will need a good dose of luck explaining the situation to the police which they will assume that you are a "silly foreigner" — following as always the common cultural narrative.
How this situation evolved you might ask? Well, some drivers long time ago thought that they could get away by driving a bit faster. So everyone started doing it. A new rule of thumb was created that gave everyone about 20Km more leverage in speeding. Same things happened about other rules due to sheer laziness. Today, if you happen to drive in a town, almost everyone is above the speed limit. If you do drive by the designated speed limit, then people will start yelling and honking leaving you wondering what you are doing wrong. This is how most foreigners get in trouble in Cyprus. They find themselves in dire straights in regards to the law vs the rule of the street. And don't think for a second that locals are any better in regards to accidents. Taken according to population, Cyprus has one of the deadliest streets in the world. Almost every other day a serious accident is reported in the news.
Laws were created because a group of people decided how things should be done. People agreed to write the rules down when they seemed to favour the group. Thing is, laws are often obsolete or written by very few people that want to believe how the world works — neglecting how the world actually is. In a way, laws as we know them are obsolete. Things like driving, are in a constant flux — forever changing. As a result, the laws rarely update accordingly to follow consensus.
Blockchain technologies can improve the system by changing the laws on the fly — or at least — slowly emulate the old with the new. We are still years away from all-around system implementation. Nonetheless, it is evident that laws don't work like they used to because things change way much faster than before. Like Frederick Bastiat noted, Laws are supposed to serve the people, not the other way around.
The Cypriot driving system is just an example of the consensus taking over law. Officials are powerless to do anything about it because there are larger forces at play beyond their control. If most people want to go by living through nepotism then really no law can make things right. If people want to change the rules of how they drive depending on street then no common driving law will make sense. If people are able to erase tickets with a phone call then the ticket system is just a waste of money. The law should follow the consensus, tracking the people's whims and wishes on the fly. I believe this is the future of politics. Laws will eventually become obsolete while consensus systems through the blockchain will manage ever-changing rules of contact. Remember, every single law exists due to a technological gap.
Whether it's a law or a consensus, the essence of living together is in the concept of Game Theory. We humans collude to keep our interests safe. Collusion may end up in a law or may stay as undocumented practice.
If there's consensys on something important, it may well be made a law to give it a legal standing
well said
Thanks a lot. :)
Cheating seems to be quite universal - not only in human societies but in all of nature. Isn't camouflage, for instance, as practiced by many species in attempting to eat or keep from being eaten, a form of cheating?
A leopard's natural camouflage
I don't know that I would that it cheating. Animals that had shitty camouflage were eaten and the ones that survived were able to procreat. That's called evolution. Darwins law in effect? Stupid drivers die and don't make more stupid drivers, Survival of the fittest. That being said, I'll rent a tank if I ever need to drive in Cyprus, lol.
Camouflage was only one (and a rather simplistic) example. Athletes who cheat (use drug enhancing methods against the rules) win more gold medals (and get the trophy wives and advertising endorsement money). That is another human example.
The offspring of a mother bird who fakes well a broken wing to draw away a predator from her chicks has more surviving offspring than the mother bird which attacks the predator in an honest and direct manner.
Why isn't the dieing off of less aware drivers in crashes in Cyprus called "evolution"?
Not really. By your logic we would have less and less people doing stupid and dangerous things but it seems that there are always people who managed to do it. Genes don't work in black and white. Society is much a stronger force.
Spot on. Written a few pieces on this subject in the past. Maybe I should write another one.
That is something I think I agree with and might support. I recently read about this: https://www.bitcoinsuisse.ch/bitnation/
Seems like a step in the right direction, doesn't it?
But I'm not sure that this Cyprus driving case study is really the best case against regulation. Driving is one of those things that are obviously not better off being regulated by public consensus because when they are you get this:
People are immediately selfish when given the chance to exploit or game a system like that. It's the same reason that I think volunteer taxes/determining your own tax rate is also not something that could work well. There are a lot of cases when we know with certainty that game theory leads to results that are far from optimal. When you leave things to game theory (which leaving them to consensus really is), you know with certainty that the overall result is sub-optimal and sub-optimal by a long shot.
We can have new technologies revolutionize driving regulations, but not in this way, but through distributed systems that optimize speed limits, regulation and fines for the least amount of deaths, accidents and/or congestion. Something like that could yield much better results, save lives and take the power away from a human government that is easier to corrupt through nepotism and bribery.
I live in a world where one button can delete your whole browser history, therefore keeping records of pages you visit is rendered obsolete.
Jokes aside, I understand your viewpoint. However if people are concerned with the level of nepotism and possibly corruption in the system. Then it is time to do something and not hold back, you see these same type of people I’ve come across are the ones always complaining however when it comes to action that requires a little bit of bravery, they put their heads in down and submit. This further empowers the system to know that what it is doing is right, because there is no rejection from the people.
well said
Just being a bit obeservant 😁
Interesting article, I like your perspective on this. I have seen many videos on YouTube about drug vi g in foreign countries (outside USA) were the driving is insane with many accidents. Nice thing about the block chain is the rules are managed by a computer and it has to follow them. It cannot change the rule for one person.
No offense, but that's a pretty bleak view. I'm a strong supporter of blockchain and decentralization technology, but even I still believe in the power of law. You know what they call a state where people are left to their own device? Anarchy. Consensus law sounds great on paper, but it will eventually break down if there's no recognized authority putting limits and regulations on things. The way I see it, I think that's how law's supposed to be. Not cutting down all the trees. Not leaving them grow unchecked. But pruning them where necessary so it can eventually takes shape.
"Not cutting down all the trees" requires enforceable private ownership of the trees. Otherwise there is the Tragedy of the Commons. The trees in a King's crown forests (read private hunting grounds) were protected under penalty of death. But, eventually, every human society has cut down all the trees a la Easter Island.
Perhaps blockchain technology has introduced possibilities of enforcing private ownership without violence. I guess we shall see...............
Agree. That's what I was trying to say. There has to be a middle ground between unchecked freedom (in the best sense of the term) and totalitarian control. We're all treading on new ground here. I'm confident we'll learn as we go.
Don't get me wrong. A system can still punish while being decentralised. A camera can issue tickets. A universal chip in cars can immobilize the cars if the tickets are not paid.
These are not science fiction but rather something that will soon become a reality.
Agree wholeheartedly. And I, for one, can't wait to see what kind of future we will have
I don't know about the soon part, but it's definitely a possibility. That's what I was talking about in my comment, too.
Sort of like this?
I totally agree with you, and I live in a country where you can delete everything with a phone call. so sad...
Which country is that if I may ask?
Sure u can ask, it is Croatia
The great its ways,,
Reminds me of when I lived in Athens. Hopefully things have changed there due to the EU. Haven't been back in a while and don't ask my daughter to goes once or twice a year. Probably half the same and half abide by new rules. Must go and take look. Thanks for the post.
I hear you. Thanks for commenting man
Heavens everyone thinks I'm a man! I am actually a woman. Maybe it's because I am very mature and have had a career! Anyway happy to comment on something useful and interesting.
Thank you for the updating about the Cypriot driving system. They have own legacy system you told from this blog. So lot of accidents here.
Resteemed.