> the fact that it took an enormous effort by government to build smooth roads and put up signs everywhere "Traffic" here is an analogy for "society at large",

> the fact that it took an enormous effort by government to build smooth roads and put up signs everywhere "Traffic" here is an analogy for "society at large", so any response along the lines of "but the government built the roads" or "but public transport is more efficient" is kind of missing the point. And it's a good analogy in that it shows how much order can emerge from people acting in their self interest without being aware of other peoples plans or goals. I also think it makes it pretty intuitive that predictable and general rules of the game are far superior to ad hoc and ever changing ones, although as an argument in favor of laissez faire, it's definitely not a good one.