How is social order maintained?

[oats]

Originally Posted by Witty

I see your point and agree, but what about our values? How we treat each other? Is it all dictated or do we reach a societal understanding based on what benefits society as a whole? If we were not given laws, would we behave in a civilised manner as it would be best for everyone?

Obv there are criminals and whatnot who already don't do this, but I mean the wider population of civilised countries.

Hernando de Soto wrote an excellent book kind of about this (The Mystery of Capital, I believe it's called). In it, he makes a pretty compelling case that one of the most important aspects of social order/development is an enforced legal infrastructure. There's a reason "law" and "order" tend to go hand in hand.

Values are cultural though, and as such they're malleable.

My recent hobby-learning has been neuro-economics, I think you'd enjoy getting into it.