Man, that’s a tough argument...”one bad apple spoils the bunch” is very true. Still, I never viewed it as fair that I should be punished for what someone else did (or even worse, might do).
I think in a free society that reputation is paramount (like here on SteemIT)...bad actors could well be punished without the need for specific laws (that is, for breaking rules).
Let’s stick with the stop light...had you missed it and no cop there who would have been harmed, who would even have known the difference? I mean, you wouldn’t just fine yourself because you broke a “law” would you?
Lol...we’re getting pretty deep for a “newbie game” 🤓
Yes, I think reputation helps alot for small societies to avoid having too many laws. Unfortunately, there is no way in real life to see the reputation of a stranger, it only works in groups that are small enough for everyone to know each other already (and that has it's own problems!). But even on Steemit, the reputation is only a measure of interaction with other accounts, it isn't a measure of how "noble" someone is. Indeed, for a relatively small investment, it is possible to boost your REP to 50 (or maybe above to 60), so the REP on Steemit is a bit misleading....
No, I wouldn't fine myself (I'm not that altruistic!), but I would expect to have the consequence if I was found and noticed.