Highway Ethics

Astral Facts, September 2008
Highway Ethics
Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current.

Talking out of Hand from Both Sides of the Mouth.

One of the skills/activities in the Humanities Sciences is the definition, application and observation of ethics and moral standards. Literary and Humanties criticism comes through the discussion of how the “texts” of the culture endorse, challenge, or even protest such ethical and moral belief systems. In the olden days, these “texts” were primarily the religious writings and political documents, but these days, movies, music, cellular phones, television programs (especially the commercials), etc. that influence or reflect social behavior can be included as “texts” of the culture.

The Humanities Scientists then observe and comment on such texts, often using particular perspectives. Thus, the feminist critic would note how the text tends to affect women by imposing or challenging definition, stereotype, empowerment, oppression, etc. Other critics might use psychoanalytical constructs, Marxist thought, Islamic theology, political theory, literary techniques, etc. as the basis for critical analysis.

Here’s a case in point:

Here in the Puget Sound area, we’re trying something new to deal with the traffic congestion problems and the underutilized “Carpool” lanes. (Actually, they are “HOV” lanes, meaning “High Occupancy Vehicles.” Those who complain about the mother [or father] and baby using the lanes because having the baby in the car is not reducing traffic congestion [The baby wouldn’t be taking a solo trip in a vehicle anyhow] obviously have neglected to note the meaning of this nor apparently have they had to deal with rushing somewhere with a baby "that close" to filling the last clean diaper! Those parents have my blessings to unlimited use of the HOV lanes. Of course, others may prefer to have parent and baby sitting next to them in the bus.)

The solution now being used on Hwy 167 is to let those SOV’s (not a typo- this refers to Solely Occupied Vehicles or something like it) pay a fee to use the HOV lanes. These people get some kind of transmitter/transponder unit, charge it up with money, and then “the going rate” is deducted if the vehicle is in the HOV lanes. This “going rate” (pun intended here but not in the baby example) is adjusted up or down according to how heavy the traffic is in the other lanes.

Of course, this all seems nice because those who subscribe to the “time is money” view of life can then pay to save the time, and the money is hopefully used for the benefit of the rest of us who either conscientiously travel in high occupancies or value the relationship of time and money a bit differently.

In many ways, this seems to be a practical solution. Nonetheless, many Humanities Scientists would see a certain philosophical and ethical perspective getting privileged status in this way.

Obstensively, the main focus seems to be on environmental sensitivity. Thus, the clogged mainline highways should be an incentive for people to carpool and “HOV-it" to save time. However, the other [primary] message seems to be that the people with money don’t have to subscribe to this value system – like Donald, they can “trump” the situation because of economic status!

It seems to me that the commodity that is driving (pun intended) this situation is time. The value is being placed on the time that is being saved. Since this is the case, my modest proposal would be to let those people pay in time increments.

In other words, let community service have a value according to the time invested. So if someone spends an hour volunteering on some community project, give that person X number of credits to be added to the transponder total, say one credit for every twenty minutes spent. Then when the same person is driving as an SOV and in a hurry, that person can “cash in” whatever the “going rate” is, assuming that person has accrued that much credit.

And if some people’s time is too important to them to invest in their community, then just let them idle in traffic with those other “too important” people.


Walter Lowe
English Faculty
Green River Community College

Astral Facts is a monthly presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices in the HS (Humanities/Science) Building.

Astral Facts, April-May 2008 (Late Edition)

Astral Facts, April-May 2008 (Late Edition)

Astral: (Theosophy) Consisting of, belonging to, or designating, a kind of supersensible substance alleged to be next above the tangible world in refinement; as, astral spirits; astral bodies of persons; astral current.

Delay of Game: It Happens Every Spring

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In spring, young men’s fancies turn elsewhere, some say to what the young girls have been thinking about all winter, but of course the correct answer is another field in the humanities science division in the entertainment bracket. Obviously, this could only refer to America’s national pastime: baseball!

As usual, one would never know it from watching the Mariners play, but it’s the science of the game that makes the humanities aspect stand out. For example, someone has sent me this simple explanation of the game:

Baseball: This is a game played by two teams, one out the other in. The one that's in, sends players out one at a time, to see if they can get in before they get out. If they get out before they get in, they come in, but it doesn't count. If they get in before they get out, it does count.
When the ones out get three outs from the ones in before they get in without being out, the team that's out comes in and the team in goes out to get those going in out before they get in without being out.
When both teams have been in and out nine times the game is over. The team with the most in without being out before coming in wins unless the ones in are equal. In which case, the last ones in go out to get the ones in out before they get in without being out.
The game will end when each team has the same number of ins out but one team has more in without being out before coming in.

If this seems overly “scientific” I would recommend the film version of this marriage of humanities and science, It Happens Every Spring, a 1949 classic in black and white starring Ray Milland as the college chemistry professor who gets distracted during baseball season every spring, complicated by a desire to marry the dean’s daughter (Jean Peters). When a baseball crashes into his laboratory, mixing the chemicals into a solution that repels wood, perhaps he can get enough money together to wed. Thus, he “moonlights” over the summer as a pitcher (for the local major league baseball team) who “doctors” the ball.

During these rainy days of a typical June in Puget Sound, find a copy and then get together some peanuts, popcorn, cracker jacks, a hot dog or two and maybe some garlic fries and enjoy!


Astral Facts is a monthly presentation of Humanities Science, produced in the bowels of the Humanities Science offices in the HS (Humanities/Science) Building.

Walter Lowe
English Faculty
Green River Community College